Degrowth and Commons-based Peer Production Organisations: understanding the Role and Implications of an Alternative Mode of Production in achieving a Degrowth Society

This thesis identifies a research gap on the role of economic organisations in connection to degrowth and problematises that past research fails to view economic organisations as encompassed by capitalist structures. The thesis seeks to contribute to the degrowth discourse by filling part of this research gap by researching the role of economic organisations in achieving degrowth and the resulting implications for these organisations. The thesis makes use of Gramsci’s conceptualisation of hegemony and counter-hegemony to define degrowth as a counter-hegemony seeking to overcome the capitalist hegemony. The thesis finds that economic organisations must operate in line with a mode of production that can fit degrowth (such as commons-based peer production) and aim to shape society’s superstructure to help enable a degrowth transition. The resulting contradiction of aligning with an alternative mode of production is further unfolded using Luhmann’s social systems theory together with the concept of counter-hegemony. This theoretical investigation highlights that organisational social systems aligned with degrowth counter-hegemony face a paradox in having to embrace uncertainty in their social systemic reproduction. The thesis’ empirical findings show that economic organisations (on the example of commons-based peer production organisations) can align with degrowth through awareness of the afore mentioned contradiction and aiming to overcome it. These economic organisations require a strong alignment with degrowth counter-hegemony in their decision premises, particularly cognitive routine (the conceptualisation of the organisations system environment). The thesis highlights that such an alignment might only be achieved and ensured by keeping a relatively small organisational membership. The concept of scaling-wide is therefore proposed to create degrowth aligned networks of economic organisations that could further help to ensure counter-hegemonic reproduction. Ultimately, the thesis also makes a plea to the degrowth discourse to take charge of research on economic organisations in connection to degrowth to ensure counter-hegemonic alignment.