Glimpses of Utopia

1. Reimagine utopia: Small glimpses of a better future exist everywhere

You don't wake up and find a utopia fully realised and perfectly formed. They happen a little bit at a time, unevenly, erratically, and if we know how to look, we can see glimpses of them everywhere.

Utopian thinking evolves. Rather than grand visions of perfect societies, today's utopias are small-scale experiments and innovations happening in communities worldwide. These "glimpses of utopia" demonstrate practical ways to create more just, sustainable, and caring societies.

Examples include:

• Participatory budgeting in Porto Alegre, Brazil
• Iceland's citizen-driven constitution rewrite after the 2008 financial crisis
• The democratic confederalism system in Rojava, Syria

By recognizing and learning from these real-world efforts, we can piece together a vision for a better future that is grounded in existing successes rather than unrealistic fantasies.

2. Recentre the citizen: Empower people to shape their communities

The challenge right now is to pull back and describe the bigger picture that leads to this feeling of exclusion and distrust. To me it seems essential that more of us make the connections between what can seem like abstract or distant policy decisions and their impacts on our lives.

Citizen empowerment is crucial. Many people feel disconnected from the decisions that shape their lives and communities. Rebuilding trust and engagement requires creating more opportunities for direct citizen participation in governance.

Key approaches include:

• Participatory budgeting processes
• Citizens' assemblies on key issues
• Digital democracy platforms for ongoing input

These methods give people a tangible stake in shaping their communities, leading to better-informed decisions and increased civic engagement. Ultimately, recentering citizens can help address the widespread disillusionment with current political systems.

3. Refocus politics: Create more participatory and representative systems

To build a fairer world, the benefits banks receive from our governments have got to spark a mutual obligation – a responsibility to act in the interests of local communities or future generations – one that's consistent throughout their operations and which is at the core of their business.

Political systems need an overhaul. Current representative democracies often fail to truly reflect diverse populations or address long-term challenges. More participatory and inclusive political models can help realign governance with citizens' needs and values.

Promising innovations include:

• Taiwan's vTaiwan platform for crowdsourcing policy
• Randomly-selected citizens' assemblies to deliberate on complex issues
• Proportional representation voting systems

These approaches can help overcome political polarization, increase diversity in decision-making, and create policies more attuned to public interests. Refocusing politics on genuine citizen engagement can revitalize democracy for the 21st century.

4. Redesign work: Build an economy that values human potential

We've been rolling along without updating the software our system operates on, and so many foundational assumptions and policies are now completely outdated and out of sync with the way the world works today.

Work needs reimagining. The current economic system undervalues essential work, creates precarious conditions for many, and fails to harness human creativity and potential. A redesigned economy should prioritize meaningful work, fair compensation, and sustainable practices.

Key elements could include:

• Universal basic services to meet essential needs
• Shorter work weeks to share employment and improve work-life balance
• Worker ownership models like cooperatives

By rethinking fundamental assumptions about work, we can create an economy that better serves human flourishing and environmental sustainability rather than just profit maximization.

5. Reward the human: Recognize and compensate care work

The conditions of work are the conditions of care.

Care work is undervalued. Despite being essential for society, care work – including childcare, eldercare, and domestic labor – is often poorly compensated and precarious. Recognizing and properly valuing care work is crucial for building a more equitable and sustainable economy.

Strategies to improve care work include:

• Providing living wages and benefits for care workers
• Investing in public care infrastructure
• Reframing care as productive economic activity

Elevating the status and compensation of care work can improve quality of life for both care workers and care recipients while creating a more balanced and humane economy overall.

6. Recoup the investment: Ensure public value from technological advances

If public investment was valued in the same way private investment has been, the American public would own at least 11 per cent of the company, which as of May 2020 is valued at over US$144 billion.

Public investment deserves returns. Many technological innovations rely heavily on publicly funded research and infrastructure, yet private companies reap most of the financial rewards. Ensuring a fair public return on these investments is crucial for funding future innovation and public goods.

Possible approaches include:

• Government equity stakes in companies benefiting from public research
• Royalties on commercially successful publicly-funded innovations
• Stronger conditions on public research grants and subsidies

Recouping public investment can help fund essential services and future innovation while ensuring that technological progress benefits society as a whole, not just private shareholders.

7. Reform finance: Make banking serve society, not exploit it

A fairer data economy implies advancement towards a robust model of data commons, one that goes beyond open data by attending not only to the potential of open access to data but also to the conditions of its production, to the power over and the protection from it, to its governance as well as to the social responsibility for its impacts.

Finance needs realignment. The current financial system often prioritizes short-term profits over long-term societal wellbeing. Reforming finance to better serve social and environmental goals is crucial for building a more sustainable and equitable economy.

Key reforms could include:

• Public banking options focused on community needs
• Ethical banking standards prioritizing social and environmental impact
• Islamic finance principles emphasizing real economic activity over speculation

By reorienting finance towards serving society rather than exploiting it, we can create a financial system that supports rather than undermines social and environmental goals.

8. Restore the commons: Manage shared resources for collective benefit

The commons won't manage itself: it needs us to be stewards of it.

Revive collective resource management. Many essential resources – from natural ecosystems to digital platforms – are best managed as commons rather than private or state property. Restoring collective stewardship of these shared resources can promote sustainability and equitable access.

Examples of commons-based approaches:

• Community land trusts for affordable housing
• Open-source software and knowledge platforms
• Cooperative management of natural resources

By recognizing the value of collective ownership and management, we can create more sustainable and equitable systems for managing essential resources that benefit all of society.

9. Rebuild for equity: Design cities that work for all residents

The purpose of a city is to bring people closer together so that human flourishing is more likely to happen.

Cities need inclusive redesign. Urban areas often exacerbate inequality through uneven development and gentrification. Rebuilding cities with a focus on equity and sustainability can create more livable environments for all residents.

Key strategies include:

• Participatory planning processes centering marginalized communities
• Affordable housing initiatives like community land trusts
• Green infrastructure benefiting all neighborhoods

By prioritizing equity in urban design and development, cities can become drivers of social and environmental progress rather than reinforcing existing inequalities.

10. Restart a civic conversation: Foster dialogue across divides

If we truly believe that every person has a role to play in building the world we want, we need every person to feel valued and heard. We do that by asking them the why behind their positions and respecting the beliefs and experiences that got them there.

Dialogue is essential. Political polarization and social media echo chambers hinder productive civic discourse. Fostering genuine dialogue across ideological and social divides is crucial for addressing complex challenges and building shared visions for the future.

Approaches to improve civic conversation:

• Structured dialogue programs pairing people with differing views
• Public spaces and events designed for diverse interaction
• Media initiatives highlighting multiple perspectives on issues

By creating opportunities for respectful engagement across differences, we can rebuild the civic fabric necessary for collaborative problem-solving and social progress.

Last updated: September 6, 2024