The Wealth of Commons: A World Beyond Market and State

David Bollier & Soilke Helfrich, editors The Wealth of Commons: A World Beyond Market and State Levellers Press, 2012

reviewed by Derek Wall

Today, the battle to preserve, extend and deepen the commons is becoming more and more popular, and The Wealth of the Commons, an anthology of over seventy essays, is an excellent introduction to the topic. Where Garrett Hardin saw the commons as “tragic,” this book shows how it can be a solution to climate change and other environmental problems.

Its impossible to list all the excellent contributions but it is global in scope and a very accessible read. The Marxist tradition is well summed up in a particularly good essay by the historian Peter Linebaugh. Ryan Conway from the Ostrom workshop provides a clear introduction to Elinor Ostrom’s work.

http://climateandcapitalism.com/2013/05/21/the-wealth-of-commons-a-world-beyond-market-and-state/