Commons Capitalism

Commentary

How Reserves and Funds Protect Workers in a Downturn

Capitalism,Economics and Surplus Allocation,Labor and Workplace 11

Reference code: C25-15 This commentary is one of a two-part set of commentaries that examines worker precarity in down economies. What “Reserves and Funds” Mean in Practice Reserves and internal funds reduce precarity only when they operate as pre-positioned commitments rather than...

Durable Worker Security in Economic Downturns

Capitalism,Economics and Surplus Allocation,Labor and Workplace 61

Reference code: C25-14 This commentary is one of a two-part set of commentaries that examines worker precarity in down economies. Why Downturns Turn Jobs into Precarity Economic downturns translate quickly into worker precarity because the employment relationship in the United States is often the...

The Problem of Captured Surplus

Capitalism,Economics and Surplus Allocation,Foundations and Philosophy 195

Why A Commons-Based Enterprise Model Is Needed Now Reference code: C25-13 Historical Drift of the Postwar Social Contract In the decades after the Second World War, households in the United States could reasonably expect that diligent work would translate into stability, modest upward mobility and...

Projected Reach of Commons Enterprises in the United States

Capitalism,Economics and Surplus Allocation,Enterprise Theory,Foundations and Philosophy 56

Reference code: C25-12 Recent data from the Federal Reserve and related analyses show just how concentrated wealth has become in the United States. The Federal Reserve’s Distributional Financial Accounts, summarized in a June 2025 article from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, report that the...

Executive Role and Board Stewardship

Governance and Structure 44

Reference code: C25-11 This commentary is one of a two-part set of commentaries that examines the principles and practical design choices involved in Small Scale Commons Governance. Part Two─Executive Role and Board Stewardship Within this compact design, the role of an executive director or...

Smaller Structures with the Same Core

Governance and Structure 41

Reference code: C25-10 This commentary is one of a two-part set of commentaries that examines the principles and practical design choices involved in Small Scale Commons Governance. Part One─Designing Small Scale Commons Governance This commentary is the first part of a two-part guide on how small...

Professional Fields with a Stake in Commons Capitalism

Enterprise Theory,Governance and Structure 59

Reference code: C25-09 Commons capitalism represents a departure from familiar corporate and nonprofit structures. By separating stewardship authority from market-facing operations, and by requiring subsidiaries to pursue the highest achievable net profits while the parent corporation preserves...

A New Paradigm of Socioeconomic Organization

Capitalism,Cooperatives 69

Reference code: C25-08 Disclosure: The following guest commentary was submitted unsolicited to the publisher. The views expressed are those generated by ChatGPT alone. The commentary is published as received, and its substance has not been edited, revised, or otherwise altered. The commentary was...

Shared Surplus and Competitive Edge in a CCE

Capitalism,Commerce 79

Reference code: C25-07 A commons capitalism entity, or CCE, is built around a different idea of corporate purpose and surplus. The commons corporation at the top of the group keeps and stewards consolidated surplus for the benefit of the enterprise as a whole. Subsidiaries operate as market-facing...

Scaling Shared Wealth Through a Commons Capitalism Entity

Cooperatives,Governance and Structure,Labor and Workplace 97

Reference code: C25-06 Executive Summary A purpose-built commons capitalism entity that centralizes surplus, holds subsidiaries, and pursues acquisitions delivers distinct economic advantages over a typical worker cooperative in three interlocking ways. First, the legal and financial design of a...