The last time we talked about anything constructive and
forward-looking here concerned the Mexican elections and the AMLO
campaign. Paul proposed that it might help the campaign for PEN-l
economists to sketch out an alternative budget or something like that.
On 9/13/06, paul phillips <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Julio,
I think one modest proposal that the parallel government might consider
is the 'alternative budget' approach pioneered by John Loxley at the
University of Manitoba. Using his skills and knowledge in economic
development and in government finance and community development, he
organized unions, health ngos, teachers, feminist groups, interested
academics, etc. into a consultative process leading to the development
of alternative budgets eventually at the local, provincial and federal
levels. These budgets, which reflected a democraticly arrived-at
social agenda, were released just prior to the official government
budgets. Subsequent publicity of what social gains were possible to
achieve was used to pressure governments to adopt more progressive
programs and to undercut the governments usual mantra of TINA. They also
undercut the elite's claim that progressive policies were irresponsible
or would hurt the economy but rather, undercut the governments elite agenda.
Paul P
It appeared that many thought that would be interesting and
potentially useful. I don't know if anyone from PEN-l actually
followed up on that. Maybe nobody did, as everyone is busy.
WELL, I DID! On 21 Sept, I both responded to Paul and also wrote (and then the thread died):
At 12:18 13/09/2006, Julio wrote:
I wasn't expecting people on PEN-L to do a lot of research on Mexico's
local conditions (or to expect that from us). I was thinking that,
using the knowledge and information you *already* have about Mexico's
or about countries with similar conditions and problems, at that
(perhaps high) level of generality or abstraction, you made your
points. The point of the convention is to socialize and synthesize
the wealth of local and topical information people *already* have,
from wherever they are, and turn it into "actionable items" (thanks
Don Rumsfeld for these terms).
People on PEN-L have their own individual perspective, their own "pet
topics" -- said with all due respect. That's a lot of topical
knowledge, specialized or not, that may be useful to the people who
will be deliberating in the CND.
Well, I wouldn't go so far as to call this a 'pet topic'; and it reflects neither much considered thought nor knowledge. However, I presume that a substantial portion of AMLO supporters are functioning within the informal sector and might be receptive to measures which support and facilitate forms of organisation and their well-being. If AMLO and his supporters are serious about creating forms of dual power, perhaps the development of an alternative currency is worth exploring. It is something I meant to raise earlier, thinking in this respect of the potential of a LETS system focused upon the informal sector as both a facilitator of economic activity and a form of organising which challenges hegemony; I was reminded, though, of something along this vein tonight when I read the following in relation to Venezuela:
- Caracas, September 20 (RHC)-- Venezuela's Ministry of Popular Economy
- (MINEP) piloted the use of social currency fair, inaugurated last Friday by
- MINEP's new head, Pedro Morejón. Morejón, a representative of Venezuelan
- President Hugo Chávez's MVR party in the Venezuelan National Assembly,
- replaced Olly Millan as MINEP's head last Thursday.
- Ahead of the 4th School Fair for Popular Economy held in Caracas, employees
- of MINEP and four government bodies that form part of the ministry who have
- children at school were given printed color paper notes bearing the face of
- Latin American independence hero Francisco de Miranda.
- The mirandinos ('little mirandas') could be used to buy goods from any of
- the 270 government sponsored cooperatives from around the country present
- at the fair. The cooperatives then exchanged the 'mirandinos' for real
- money through MINEP.
- Reinaldo Iturriza, head of MINEP's communication unit, told
- Venezuelanalysis.com, "The use of social currency at this fair constitutes
- one of the first attempts at alternative forms of commercial exchange. For
- us the most important thing to bear in mind is that our horizon is governed
- by the need to transform the capitalist economy into one that puts people
- first."
- MINEP was created in September 2004, and is, according to MINEP literature,
- the body that will coordinate Venezuela's transition from a capitalist
- economic model to a "social and sustainable economy." To this end, MINEP is
- responsible for coordinating Mision Vuelvan Caras , a government program
- founded in January 2004 to combat unemployment and, more generally,
- poverty, and that is seen as key in providing the workers that will form
- the basis for this "social" economy.
- The number of cooperatives in Venezuela has increased significantly since
- Chávez came to power in 1999. According to Sunacoop, the government body
- attached to MINEP that oversees the cooperative sector, in 2005 there were
- over 100,000 registered cooperatives, with over 1.5 million members - about
- 10% of the country's adult population. This represents an increase of over
- 1,200% in comparison to the 800 registered cooperatives in 1998.
Michael A. Lebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Economics Department
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
Currently based in Venezuela.
NOTE NEW PHONE NUMBERS
Can be reached at
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Departamento 601
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Caracas, Venezuela
(58-212) 573-6333, 571-1520, 571-3820 (or hotel cell:
0412-200-7540)
fax: (58-212) 573-7724
