Definition:
Commons-based systems are social or economic arrangements in which resources are collectively owned, governed, or stewarded by a community rather than controlled through private ownership or state authority.
Usage Context:
Used in discussions of community governance, digital commons, cooperative economics, environmental stewardship, and post-capitalist theory.
Critical Note:
Commons-based systems are often mischaracterised as inefficient or chaotic. In practice, they rely on shared norms, mutual accountability, and care rather than extraction, challenging assumptions that markets or central authority are the only viable coordinators of resources.
Related Terms:
Alternative Systems, Commons, Decommodification, Mutual Aid, Post-Capitalism