ghid econ naturii uujec.org guide pdf google guide

8/6/2019 Ghid Econ Naturii Uujec.org Guide PDF Google Guide

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DISCUSSION GUIDE


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CHANGING OUR STORY

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for your decision to organize adiscussion group based onAgenda for aNew Economy: From Phantom Wealth toReal Wealth. In the Preface, David Kortenaddresses the book to people who want todeepen their understanding of why things

are going so badly wrong economically, so-cially, and environmentally and who are look-ing for real solutions that go beyond puttingtemporary patches on failed institutions. Heinvites us to learn about the upstream, sys-temic causes of the current economic col-lapse, explore our own stories, and engagewith each other to build a path forward to ahealthy, positive alternative.

One of the reasons, weve found, that Agen-da resonates so deeply with readers is that

Davids response to the economic crisis, aswell as the insights, concepts, and alterna-tives he articulates so clearly, are inherentlyfamiliar to us he is, in essence, reflectingwhat we already know.

A major intention of this guide is to provideopportunities to practice the art of telling ourstories, expressing our ideas, and asking thetough questions of ourselves and each other.

This Book Study Guide is a framework for

conversations that will become the seedbedsfor a new story about the world we want andthe acceleration of a much needed transfor-mation of our entire economic system.

Deep gratitude to Neva Welton for her con-

tributions to the development and design

of this Guide, and to Marcia Meyers, Jared

Gardner, Michael Greenman, and Bill Scar-

vie for generously sharing their insights and

suggestions.

STUDY GUIDE FORMAT

There are many ways to facilitate a deeperdiscussion of the ideas presented in Agendafor a New Economy; some groups will prefera series of discussions and others will choosea workshop, or a single, open and unstruc-tured conversation circle.

This Study Guide offers a four-session, two-hour series of discussions, aligned with thefour parts of the book. Each session includesa synopsis of the major ideas within the chap-ters and discussion questions. Some ques-tions are intended to explore understandingof the concepts put forth in the book, and oth-ers are intended to invite reflection, draw onparticipants experiences and evoke personastories.

We encourage local groups to adapt and ad-just this guide to best meet their needs, and ifyou prefer, to develop questions that will pro-duce the most stimulating discussion. Shouldyou wish to include an audio/video presenta-tion as part of a session, resources/links areincluded at the end of this guide.

ROLE OF THE FACILITATORWe recommend that two or three peopleshare the responsibility for advance prepara-tions and logistics, adapting the Guide, and

setting up the meeting space. We also en-courage a team approach to meeting facilita-tion to practice and demonstrate cooperativeshared leadership.

Be the timekeeper. Start and end on time. Make sure ground rules for discussion are

respected. Make sure everyone has a chance to talk. Dont allow anyone to monopolize the

discussion.

NotestoFacilitators

Each [great social movement of our time] began with a conversation among a small group ofpeople that rapidly expanded and ultimately challenged a false story that justified the particularoppression the movement sought to end. As the story changed, so too did history. It was ac-complished through conversations that built a social consensus around a new story, and throughactions that created a new reality and gave concrete expression to the benefits of a different way

of doing things.David Korten


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NotestoFacilitators

SESSION FORMATThis guide makes room for many possibleapproaches. Depending on the size of yourgroup, you may decide to use some or allof the questions with the whole group orbreak into small groups or dyads. (Someof the more introspective questions mightdraw deeper expression in small groups or

dyads.)

FIRST MEETINGIn order to set a welcoming tone and createa safe place for rich, open dialogue, we sug-gest yourfirst meeting include introductionsand a presentation of the ground rules.

Introductions: Allow enough time for partici-pants to share something about themselves,e.g., Where were you born, and what is yourfamilys country of origin? What do you cher-

ish about your familys heritage? Allow oneor two minutes per person, depending on thesize of your group.

Ground Rules:Ask for agreement on theseor similar ground rules for conversation,adapted from Conversation Caf. It may behelpful to write the ground rules on easel pa-per or white board to display at each session.

Listen to and respect all points of view. Suspend judgment or the expression of

judgment - as best you can. Seek to understand rather thanpersuade.

Question old assumptions, look fornew insights.

Speak for yourself about what haspersonal heart and meaning.

Go for honesty and depth but dont go onand on.

ALL SESSIONSHere is an example of how you might struc-

ture your time in each session:

Opening ritual (5 minutes): The ritual couldbe a few minutes of silence and/or a candle-lighting ceremony to honor the space youoccupy and help participants become fullypresent.

Whole Group Discussion (45 minutes)Remind everyone of the groups agreementon ground rules. Select a few questions fromthe list provided to discuss as a large groupYour discussion can be conducted as a backand forth dialogue or by going around thecircle for each person to express their ideaswhile others listen. You can also go pop-corn style, which allows people to speakwhen they are ready.

Dyad or Small Group Discussions (45minutes): Dyads and small groups oftenfeel safer for personal reflection, introspec-tion and intimate sharing of personal stories

Ask the group to break into pairs or smagroups of three to five, choosing differentpartners/groups each session. You mighwant to explore more deeply some of thequestions the whole group discussed, selectquestions from the list below that are morepersonal in nature, or invite the small groups/dyads to choose questions that particularlyresonate with them. In dyads, we suggestthat this time not be for dialogue, but insteadas a time of focused listening; allow at leastfive minutes per person, per question.

Debrief (20 minutes): As a whole groupuse this time to invite participants to sharewhat they learned from the discussion newinsights, aha moments, more questions toconsider, etc.

Closing (5 minutes): End by sharing wordsof appreciation and closing the ritual youused at the beginning, e.g., a few minutes ofsilence and/or blowing out the candle.

Note: Consider playing (and singing anddancing to) Raffi s No Wall Too Tall, re-corded for the launch of Agenda, beforeand/or after sessions www.raffinewscom/feature/no-wall-too-tall.


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PART I: The Case for a New Economy

Session

One If we look upstream for the ultimate cause

of the economic crisis that is tearing somany lives apart, we find an illusion: thebelief that moneya mere number created

with a simple accounting entry that has noreality outside the human mindis wealth.Because money represents a claim on somany things essential to our survival andwell-being, we easily slip into evaluatingeconomic performance in terms of the rateof financial return to money, essentially therate at which money is growing, rather thanby the economys contribution to the long-term well-being of people and nature.

We can trace each of the major failures of

our economic system to the misperception ofmoney as wealth: the boom-and-bust cycles;the decimation of the middle class; familiesforced to choose between paying the rent,putting food on the table, and caring for theirchildren; the decline of community life; andthe wanton destruction of nature.

Once the belief that money is wealth is implant-ed firmly in the mind, it is easy to accept theidea that money is a storehouse of value ratherthan simply a storehouse of expectations, and

that making money is the equivalent of creat-ing wealth. Because Wall Street makes moneyin breathtaking quantities, we have allowed itto assume control of the whole economyandtherein lies the source of our problem.

Financial collapse pulled away the curtain onthe Wall Street alchemists to reveal an illusionfactory that paid its managers outrageoussums for creating phantom wealth unrelatedto the production of anything of real value.They were merely creating claims on the real

wealth created by othersa form of theft.Spending trillions of dollars trying to fix WallStreet is a fools errand. Our hope lies not withthe Wall Street phantom-wealth machine, butrather with the real-world economy of MainStreet, where people engage in the productionand exchange of real goods and services tomeet the real needs of their children, families,

Summary

and communities, and where they have anatural interest in maintaining the health andvitality of their natural environment.

Ironically, it turns out that the solution to afailed capitalist economy is a real-marketeconomy much in line with the true visionof Adam Smith. Building a new real-wealtheconomy on the foundation of the MainStreet economy will require far more thanadjustments at the margins. It will require acomplete bottom-to-top redesign of our eco-

nomic assumptions, values, and institutions

CHAPTER SUMMARIES

CHAPTER 1Looking Upstream, spells out what itmeans to treat causes rather than symptomsand why getting our assumptions right is im-portant.

CHAPTER 2Modern Alchemists and the Sport of Mon-eymaking, looks at the reality behind WalStreets illusions and the variety of its methodsfor making money without the exertion of cre-ating anything of real value in return.

CHAPTER 3A Real-Market Alternative, contrasts theWall Street and Main Street economies andputs to rest the fallacy that the only alterna-tive to rule by Wall Street capitalists is rule bycommunist bureaucrats.

CHAPTER 4More Than Tinkering at the Margins,spells out why the adjustment at the mar-gins approach favored by establishment in-terests cannot stabilize the economy, reduceeconomic inequality, or prevent environmen-tal collapse.


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What did you find particularly compelling or provocative about these chapters of Agenda?

The economic crisis didnt happen overnight; with 20/20 hindsight, what were the warning

signs, and why did it take so long to release the public outrage over the deceit, corruption, andexcesses of the Wall Street financial machine?

What words would you use to best describe the root cause(s) of our economic problems?

What are the consequences, for the US, for communities and for everyday Americans, of policiesthat continue to pour billions of dollars into treating the symptoms rather than addressing the rootcauses of the failure?

How does the prevailing belief that money is wealth play out in daily life for ordinary Americans?

How do mainstream Americans formulate their beliefs regarding what constitutes a healthyeconomic system?

On the Table that contrasts the differences between Wall Street capitalism and a Main Streetmarket economy (Page 33 of Agenda), where do you feel drawn to the Wall Street approach,and to which elements would you give highest priority for major transformation?

What confidence do you have that transformation is possible? What needs to happen, at localnational, and global levels, to turn the tide?

Besides GDP, what indicators or indices are used in the mainstream media to portray thehealth or strength of the economy? What alternative measurements would reflect the truehealth of people and the planet?

What evidence of phantom wealth do you see in your community? What evidence of realwealth?

In what ways do you directly or indirectly rely on Wall Street? In what ways do these connectionscreate contradictions in your value system? What can you do to reduce your dependence on WalStreet?

How have the credit, mortgage, and/or investment crises touched you and your circle of friendsand family? What personal adjustments have been needed? What are the long-term implications?

PART I: The Case for a New EconomyQuestions

Session

One


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PART II: The Case for Eliminating Wall StreetSummary

Session

TwoEfforts to fix Wall Street miss an important

point. It cant be fixed. It is corrupt beyondrepair, and we cannot afford it. Moreover, be-cause the essential functions it does perform

are served better in less costly ways, we donot need it.

Wall Streets only business purpose is to enrichits own major players, a bunch of buccaneersand privateers who find it more profitable toexpropriate the wealth of others than to findhonest jobs producing goods and servicesbeneficial to their communities. They walkaway with their fees, commissions, and bonuspackages and leave it to others to pick up thecosts of federal bailouts, gyrating economic

cycles, collapsing environmental systems,broken families, shattered communities, andthe export of jobs along with the manufactur-ing, technology, and research capacities thatgo with them.

Even more damaging in some ways than theeconomic costs are the spiritual and psy-chological costs of a Wall Street culture thatcelebrates greed, favors the emotionally andmorally challenged with outsized compensa-tion packages, and denies the human ca-

pacity for cooperation and sharing. Runningout of control and delinked from reality, WallStreet has created an Alice in Wonderlandphantom-wealth world in which prospectivefinancial claims and the expectations that gowith them exceed the value of all the worldsreal wealth by orders of magnitude.

We can no longer afford to acquiesce to a sys-tem of rule by those engaged in the pursuit ofphantom wealth far beyond any conceivableneedand to no evident end other than to ac-

cumulate points in a contest for the top spotson the Forbes list of richest people.

CHAPTER SUMMARIES

CHAPTER 5What Wall Street Really Wants, explainswhy there is no limit to Wall Street greed andhow its institutions use the economic and po-litical muscle of their monopoly control of thecreation and allocation of money to get whatthey want: Everything!

CHAPTER 6Buccaneers and Privateers, provides anevocative history of the role that licensed pi-rates and chartered corporations played inthe transition from rule by kingswho foundthem a cheap substitute for official navies and

a useful means of circumventing parliamen-tary oversightto rule by global financiers.

CHAPTER 7The High Cost of Phantom Wealth, de-scribes how Wall Street players reap enor-mous financial rewards for creating phantomexpectations through their use of complex fi-nancial instruments that defy understanding.

CHAPTER 8The End of Empire, describes Wall Streetsrule by the power of money as an extensionof five thousand years of imperial rule bykings and emperors who wielded the powerof the sword.

The source of most of the economic, social, and environmental pathologies of our time

including sexism, racism, economic justice, violence, and environmental destruction

originate upstream in institutions that grant unaccountable power and privilege to the

few and assign the majority to lives of hardship and desperationIt is within our means

to create economies that serve rather than exploit. (Agenda, Page 87)


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PART II: The Case for Eliminating Wall StreetQuestions

Session

TwoWhat did you find most interesting or provocative about these chapters?

In what ways does Wall Street literally hold power over the US economy, politics, and our

lives?

What similarities do you find most fascinating between historical accounts of Europes piratesof old, military invasions, colonial expansion, and 17th century corporate charters and our cur-rent reality? What has allowed these practices to flourish in a so-called civilized world?

What is it about human nature that drives some to accumulate excessive resources in waysthat are destructive to the environment and society, and what is it that drives others to acqui-esce or condone it?

One of the most often used rationalizations to support an economic growth model is the needto create jobs; how can this argument be refuted?

For those who were part of the post-World War II ascendance of the middle-class, what was itlike living with the belief that we were a classless society of opportunity for all who were willingto apply themselves and play by the rules? When did you notice a different reality?

What will it take to restore the middle class? Where will the leadership come from? What isyour role?

In what ways have you benefited from Wall Street and in what ways have you been negativelyaffected? What role do you play in sustaining the status quo?

How can you think or care about the impacts of the Wall Street fiasco on the planet and thepeoples of the world while tending to personal struggles/challenges?

What are the greatest risks of perpetuating the status quo? What is the most compelling rea-son to change?

What values learned from your early family life inform your view of what a truly happy, healthylife looks like?

Think of a time in your own life when you felt particularly secure and happy with your personaleconomic and social situation. What was it like, and what guided your decisions about family,

work, and finance?


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PART III:Agenda for a Real-Wealth EconomySummary

Wall Street interests have defined not only thestructure of our economy but also the indica-tors by which we assess its performance. Fo-cused on financial indicators, we accept that

the economy is sound even when it is killingus. Real-wealth indicators of the health andwell-being of our children, families, commu-nities, and natural systems reveal terminalsystemic failure. Since we get what we mea-sure, we should measure what we want.

We humans are awakening to the reality thatwe are living beings and that life, by its na-ture can exist only in community. Our futuredepends on getting with the program and or-ganizing our economies in ways that mimic

healthy living systemswhich not inciden-tally look a lot more like Adam Smiths vi-sion of a market economy than they do WallStreets.

We have the right, the means, and the im-perative to declare our independence of WallStreet and get on with the work of buildingreal-wealth economies that are based on thefoundation of what remains of the Main Streeteconomies over which Wall Street presentlyexercises imperial dominion.

SessionT

hree CHAPTER SUMMARIES

CHAPTER 9What People Really Want, makes the casethe human brain is wired to support caringand sharing and that we humans have longdreamed of a world of vital, healthy children,families, communities, and natural environ-ments: the world we must now create if weare to have a future.

CHAPTER 10Essential Priorities, summarizes the foun-dational design principles that living real-wealth economies must honor and outlinesthe opportunities at hand to reallocate realresources in ways that strengthen commu-nity, increase equity, bring us into balancewith Earth, and increase human health andhappiness.

CHAPTER 11 Liberating Main Street, sets forth a 12-point agenda for liberating Main Street andbanishing Wall Street to the dustbin of his-tory.

CHAPTER 12Real-Wealth Financial Services, spells

out a strategy for creating a new financial ser-vices sector accountable to the real-wealthneeds of Main Street.

CHAPTER 13Life in a Real-Wealth Economy, offersa fictional account of a visit to the future inwhich our grandchildren may be living if wesucceed.

Those who join in the work of navigating a great turning from a Wall Street phantom-wealth

economy to a Main Street real-wealth economy embark on a bold and courageous jour-

ney to a place we have neither been nor seen. We know it only as a deep inner longing.

(Agenda, Page 101)


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PART III:Agenda for a Real-Wealth EconomyQuestions

What, for you, were the highlights of Part III?

In what ways does Wall Street propaganda appeal to our human nature? How do we resist thelies and release the strangle-hold?

What experiences have you had in other cultures or countries? What have you learned aboutwhat people really want in life?

What non-financial indicators would you include in your Happy Planet Index?

From Davids Story Matrix of starkly contrasting economic stories (see supplement before Re-

sources at the end of this Guide), which has the greater currency in the public culture? Which,by your experience, is the more valid? Whats your story?

How do our typical ways of working together inhibit self-organized, inclusive, and cooperative

communities? What examples have you seen of living systems principles at work?

What do you say to those who would argue that reallocating military expenditures puts ourcountrys security at serious risk?

How does a living economy differ from a free market economy? What evidence do you seethat a shift to a local market economy is underway? How does the local economy fare in yourcommunity?

Which of the 12 Points of the New Economy Agenda are most crucial, and why? Which will bemost challenging to implement, and what barriers will need to be overcome?

How does extreme inequality affect a community? How would equitable distribution of eco-nomic power and resources change things? (Isnt that socialism?)

How might the Thought Experiment for a new money system (Agenda, Page 139) play out foryou and your community? What would need to happen to facilitate such a major change?

At what points in your life have you experienced a struggle with finances? What is your rela-tionship with money now?

What fears or concerns do you have about your credit/debt, retirement, and health care/insurance?

What are your dreams and highest hopes for a real wealth future for you, your family andcommunity? What will it take to realize your dreams?

SessionT

hree


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PART IV: Change the Story, Change the FutureSummary

Barack Obama was swept into the U.S. pres-idency on a promise of change. Like thosewho came before him, however, he has nodoubt already learned that those who hold

the worlds most powerful office are captiveto its imperatives.

In President Obamas case, the imperativesinclude appeasing Wall Street interests thatare part of his political base. Not only didWall Streeters provide substantial funding forhis campaign and for many members of theHouse and Senate, they also have the pow-er to bring the economy to a standstill if hispolicies displease them. To act against WallStreet, President Obama must be confronted

with a popular demand from below too power-ful to be ignored.

There is an instructive parallel between ourpresent situation and that of the early Ameri-can settlers who mobilized to declare theirindependence from the rule of a distant king.Then as now, leadership in dismantling theinstitutions of Empire did not come fromwithin the institutions of Empire; it came froma powerful social movement that mobilizedfrom below. Deep transformational change is

unlikely to be achieved in any other way.

The power of popular movements resides intheir ability through dialogue to change thestories that frame the collective life of the so-ciety and through their actions to create newcultural and institutional realities. Peoplethroughout the United States and the worldare already engaged in this work of birthingthe New Economy (by whatever name theymight call it).

Session

Four CHAPTER SUMMARIES

CHAPTER 14An Address I Hope President Obama WilOne Day Deliver to the Nation, presentsmy high dream for a future presidential an-nouncement of a national policy commitmentto a real-wealth New Economy agenda.

CHAPTER 15When The People Lead, the Leaders WilFollow, draws out the parallels between theself-organizing resistance movements of theearlier colonists who achieved their indepen-dence from British rule and the subject col-onists of our day who through their actionsare declaring their independence from WalStreet ruleand it outlines a strategy for citi-zen action.

Our defining gift as humans is our power to choose, including our power to choose our

collective future. It is a gift that comes with a corresponding moral responsibility to use

that power in ways that work to the benefit of all people and the whole of life. (Agenda,

Page 157)


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PART IV: Change the Story, Change the FutureQuestions

Session

Four What stands out for you in these final chapters of Agenda?

What are the greatest challenges facing President Obama in the midst of the economic crisis?What needs to happen for the government to break free of Wall Street power and control?

Who are or could be the leaders/catalysts for the movement to transform our economy? Howare you involved?

What cultural stories have been most powerful in your experience, and when have you cho-sen different stories to create your own reality?

In your own words, what story would you tell to replace the prevailing story of Money iswealth, and Wall Street is a powerful engine of wealth creation that enriches us all?

What changes can you make in consumption, shopping habits, banking, and investments, foryour household and your business, to support a living economy?

Name three friends or groups with whom you will start a conversation about real wealth.

Please read a quote from Agenda that you consider essential and powerful, and explain why

the quote is particularly meaningful and important to you.


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STORY MATRIXSupplement Part III Questions

These are two starkly contrasting economic stories. Which has the greater currency in

the public culture? Which, by your experience, is the more valid? Whats your story?

Open Frontier Economy Living Spaceship EconomyDefiningSlogan

The one with the most toys wins We all do better when we all do better

HumanNature

We humans are by nature motivatedto pursue individual self-interest andmaterial acquisition. Cooperation inservice to some greater communitygood is contrary to our nature.

We humans are complex beings of manypossibilities. The mature consciousnessfinds joy in cooperation, caring, and serviceto others. Greed, violence, and extremeindividualism are symptoms ofpsychological dysfunction.

Money Money is wealth and those whomake money are creating newwealth that ultimately trickles down

to benefit us all.

Money is a mere number, an accountingchit. Those who make money un-associated with the creation of anything of

real value are engaged in a form of theft.

Markets Free from taxes and governmentregulation, the market rewards indirect proportion to individualcontribution & turns the pursuit ofindividual financial advantage intogreater wealth and well-being for all.

Markets work best when within a frameworkof rules and values that reflect thecommunity interest. Markets that celebrateand reward psychological dysfunction aredestructive of community values and well-being.

CommunityInterest

The community interest is a simpleaggregation of individual interests.We all do best when we each seek

to maximize our individual financialgain.

Strong caring communities are essential toour individual and collective happiness,security, and general well-being. We all do

better when we look out for one anotherand invest collectively in community andenvironmental health.

Rules Our economic system is sound.Deficiencies are best resolved byeliminating distorting rules andtaxes.

Our fatally flawed economic systemundermines our well-being and threatensour survival as a species. We must replaceit with a new system based on communityvalues and valid assumptions.

SystemAlternatives

The only alternative to the excess ofglobal capitalism is the oppressiveand unproductive state tyranny ofsocialism/communism.

Capitalism and communism both centralizeand concentrate economic power inunaccountable institutions. The betteroption is a system of properly regulatedlocally rooted regional economies.

Indicators Growth in Gross Domestic Product(GDP) is an indicator of economicprogress and growth in the totalwealth and well-being of society

GDP is a measure of the economic cost ofproducing a given level of well-being.Economic performance is better assessedagainst nonfinancial indicators of the healthof our children, families, communities, andnatural systems.


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RESOURCES

VIDEOS

David Korten

Presentation and launch ofAgenda for a New Economyat Trinity Church, NYC, Jan. 21, 2009http://tinyurl.com/n72ape

Interview with David Brancaccio for PBS NOWhttp://tinyurl.com/cev2er

Interview with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales for Democracy Now!http://tinyurl.com/lnan6o

Others

Money as Debt, by Paul Grignon - http://tinyurl.com/m8dyyu

The Story of Stuff, by Annie Leonard - http://www.storyofstuff.com/

The Money Fix, by director Alan Rosenblitz - http://www.themoneyfix.org/index.php

Money Fix Podcast #1 with Hazel Henderson - http://tinyurl.com/lnup62

ARTICLES

David Korten

Ten Rules for Socially Efficient Markets - http://tinyurl.com/nupad6

Money as a System of Power- http://www.davidkorten.org/MoneyPowerOthers

YES! Magazine Summer 2009 issue - multiple articles on Paths to a New Economyhttp://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/the-new-economy

Doing Business in a Postgrowth Society, by Gus Speth, Harvard Business Reviewhttp://tinyurl.com/nzom8c

The Web of Debt, by Ellen Brownhttp://www.webofdebt.com/articles/public_option.php

Dismantling the Temple, by William Greiderhttp://www.thenation.com/doc/20090803/greider

WEBSITES

David Korten - http://www.davidkorten.org/home

YES! Magazine on-line focus on Economies - http://www.yesmagazine.org/economies

Videos, Articles, and Websites to Enhance your Discussion

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