Activism & Leadership, Economy & Decentralisation
Alternative Economies: Decentralisation & People Power
Talk with Brett Scott, Duncan McCann, Jaya Klara Brekke
We all know that our current economic system isn’t working. It is an economy based on ravaging the Earth’s finite resources and on immense social injustice. To ensure a more democratic, sustainable and prosperous future we need to look to radical, ethical solutions that go beyond the debt-growth trap. We need to find an economic system where ecological sustainability, social justice, and financial stability go hand in hand: an economy that meets the needs of all, not just the privileged few, and allows us to thrive.
Thursday 31st May 2018, 7:30pm–10:30pm UK Time 1-3-5 Flitcroft St, London WC2h 8DH
Three leaders in the field discuss our current reality, what got us to this point and where we are headed through through talks, a panel discussion and Q&A.
Learn more about the role we can play as individuals in turning the tide, the role of the community, localism, and the de-growth approach as we take back control.
Schedule:
(Talk descriptions & bios below)
19.00 - Doors Open
19.30 - 3X 20 Minute Presentations
20.30 - Break
20.45 -Panel Discussion and Audience Q & A
21.30 - Drinks and Food
22.30 - End
Talks:#
Brett Scott: Atoms, Molecules and the Two Meanings of Decentralisation.
Many original alternative economy movements rest upon a vision of decentralisation in which large-scale centrally-controlled infrastructures are replaced by small-scale locally-controlled infrastructures. Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology communities, on the other hand, present decentralisation as the act of building large-scale infrastructures that are controlled by nobody. How do these two visions of decentralisation relate to each other, and is it possible to hybridise them?
Duncan McCann: Local is Beautiful: Taking Back Control of our Local Economy.
Small can be beautiful and powerful. People everywhere are taking back the power and co-creating their local economies, through money, energy and more. This talk will explore some of these examples and how we can all play a role in the transition.
Jaya Klara Brekke: Designing and Configuring Decentralisms
Cryptocurrencies and “blockchain” promise to decentralise money, law, governance and much more. But what happens when concepts like decentralisation travel across political, technical and organisational fields? Which exact modes of decentralisation are encoded in blockchain protocols? What do they mean in terms of power and control, autonomy and risk and the ability to connect and disconnect? Do decentralised systems “give us back control” or put us at the mercy of uncontrollable and very complex systems? The distinction between “centralised” and “decentralised” might very well not be sufficient to understand what matters in terms of our ability to determine our conditions.
Thursday 31st May 2018, 7:30pm–10:30pm UK Time 1-3-5 Flitcroft St, London WC2h 8DH
Brett Scott #
Brett Scott is an economic explorer and financial hacker traversing the intersections between money systems, finance, digital technology and cities.
Duncan McCann #
Duncan works as a Researcher for the New Economics Foundation (NEF) and is a Fellow at City University.
Jaya Klara Brekke #
Jaya Klara Brekke writes, does research and speaks on the political economy of blockchain and consensus protocols, focusing on questions of politics and power in distributed systems.
Related #
