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The privileges of land ownership are so huge and far-reaching that they are generally taken as immutable facts of life – something that politics cannot possibly address.

The latest city budget includes $750,000 to grow an underutilized housing model that creates affordable homes in rapidly gentrifying communities—a major win for housing advocates.

Not since Marx identified Manchester’s manufacturing plants as blueprints for the new capitalist society have our political economy’s fundamentals faced a more profound transformation. As structural crises beset capitalism, a new mode of production is emerging: commons-based peer production.

Why is this emerging mode of production so important in discussions about post-capitalist futures? And how can participants in commons-based peer production— the “commoners”—make sustainable livings, thereby creating a thriving global commons economy within and beyond capitalism?

Co-operative development in the USA has a unique set a challenges, largely underpinned by the sheer scale of geographies, politics and histories. On the east coast, the Keystone Development Center (KDC) has been taking on these challenges for 20 years, working across Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware to sustain communities, economies, and resources through cooperatively-owned businesses.

While the overall challenging market landscape we described last year remains, we are pleased to report a return to revenue growth along with continued profitability. Revenues grew by 5.3% to $74.7 million. Growth came primarily in tea, cocoa (helped by a new flavor initiated by our sister co-op in Canada, La Siembra), avocados, and packaged and private label coffee. Most other products saw slight declines...

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The Northwest Cooperative Development Center in partnership with Jasonwienerplc presented a workshop on converting business to employee ownership in 11 Pacific Northwest Communities between April 29^th and June 26^th. During that time with engaged with several Small Business Development Centers in Idaho Falls, Twin Falls (Idaho), Ontario and La Grande (Oregon) and the Washington SBDC.

When Rendell “Ren” Boguiren got a job in college at a South Bay pizzeria, he wasn’t expecting it would become a career. Now, as a part-owner in the business, he can’t imagine leaving.

It was a transition made possible because co-founders Kirk Vartan and his wife, Marguerite Lee, made a decision in 2015 to sell the business they started, A Slice of New York, to their employees. Both continue to retain part ownership, along with 14 other worker-owners.

“I take a lot of pride in being an owner,” Borguiren said. “It’s something I never would have expected.”

Family farming isn’t just difficult. It’s so brittle that it only makes a viable livelihood for farmers when land is nearly valueless for sheer lack of people.