Digital Labor

Consortium

What is Platform Cooperativism?
Networks

THE PLATFORM COOPERATIVISM CONSORTIUM 

The Platform Cooperativism Consortium (PCC) supports the cooperative platform economy through research, experimentation, education, advocacy, documentation of best practices, technical support, the coordination of funding, and events.

The Consortium is built upon the concept of platform cooperativism, which is anchored in collective ownership, democratic governance, a decisive commitment to the global commons, inventive unions, social justice, as well as ecological and social sustainability.

Contributors from academia, platform co-op enterprises, independent software developers, artists, designers, lawyers, activists, publishing outlets, and funders, respond to genuine needs in the digital economy.

FOUNDING CLUSTER 

The New School (initiator)
Cultural Action (South Korea),
Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, UK 
Loconomics
Cooperative University College of Kenya
Loomio
The ICA Group
Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals, Australia (BCCM)
Fairmondo
The C-Centre, Chinese University in Hong Kong, China
Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, U.S.
Stocksy United
Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada, Canada
Civic Hall U.S.
Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (Germany),
Sharetribe

Resonate, Germany
Enspiral, New Zealand
Center for Civic Media, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Sustainable Economies Law Center

FEBE Coop, Belgium
Co-Design Studio, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
P2P Foundation Lab (NL/GR)
Shareable (U.S.),
SMart
Co-operatives Research Group, The University of Sydney 
Freelancers Union, U.S.

Eyebeam
The European Trade Union Confederation (Confédération EUropéenne des Syndicats)
Ver.di, Germany
IG Metall
, Germany
The Research Fellowship Program on Worker Ownership, Rutgers University, U.S.
Dimmons.net at IN3-UOC, Spain
Solidarity Economy Network (SEN)
1worker1vote.org, U.S.
The National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA)
Digital Society @University of Edinburgh (U.K.),
Young Scholars Initiative Working Group on Cooperatives and Cooperation (U.S.),

  


EMISSARIES


Trebor Scholz (New School), Nathan Schneider (Internet of Ownership), David Carroll (The New School), New York City Council Member Brad Lander, Douglas Rushkoff (Queens College), Rachel O’Dwyer (P2P Foundation), Joshua Vial (Enspiral), Karen Gregory (University of Edinburgh), Mayo Fuster Morell (Berkman Klein Center), Jason Wiener, Irina Bolychevsky (redecentralize), Micky Metts (Agaric), Michel Bauwens (P2P Foundation), Mark Graham (Oxford University), Thomas Dönnebrink (platform co-op Berlin), Raz Godelnik (The New School), Katia Morales Gaitán, Kwang-Suk Lee (SeoulTech), Josef Davies-Coates (United Diversity, The Open Co-op, FairShares Institute), Lilly Irani and Feminist Labor Lab (UCSD, U.S.),

 

Goals

  • Seek funding for projects that support the cooperative platform economy (PCE)
  • Emphasize the importance of the pro-commons model for the on-demand economy
  • Develop policy recommendations 
  • Experimentation with new funding opportunities
    • blockchain technology, crowd funding
  • Support platform co-ops
    • Grand challenge initiatives, funded fellowships, post-docs in residence
  • Experimentation
    • Small incubators and accelerators that connect people working on similar projects
  • Facilitate events that serve as introduction to the ethical guidelines of the cooperative platform economy and promote the mindset of cooperativism
  • Provide co-working spaces to experiment (network of co-working facilities)
  • Advocate and advance projects by members of the Consortium and the CPE community at large


Technology

  • Provide a web presence for cooperative labor platforms using free software 
  • Assemble platform co-op startup kit
  • Develop best practices
  • Function as design consultancy to achieve more competitive user experiences
  • Promote a portable reputation and ID system for platform workers
  • Data rights protection
  • Develop web extensions for regional platform co-op chapters (e.g., Platformcoop-Berlin).
  • Currently several of them are hosted on Facebook, which contradicts what we stand for.


Legal

  • Formulate legal templates for platform co-ops
  • Work on licenses that advance collaboration between co-ops
  • Further policy suggestions on a municipal level to support the emerging ecosystem


Initial Research Topics

  • re-think the ICA principles for the cooperative platform economy
  • publish vital and substantive commentary, research, and resources

  • co-design and service design practices
  • ownership of big data for cooperatives
  • adapt lean startup methods for new platform co-ops, and help existing
    
co-ops to create new products and services
  • improve interoperability between co-ops
  • research the history of cooperative practices and the Internet
  • cooperatives, the future of work, and the “sharing city”

Events

  • field defining conferences, workshops, DiscoTechs
  • platform co-op events at The New School are scheduled for 2016, 2017, and 2018
  • introduction to the concepts and mindset also as part of larger local events



Advocacy

  • Facilitate education about Floss and history of co-op movement
  • Research possible relationships between unions and platform co-ops
  • Nurturing change and repositioning of trade unions


Platform Cooperativism Consortium 

The New School
65 W. 11th St., Room 350
New York, NY 10011