Blog on Theory and Practice

January 2019

Learning how to build capacity in grant-making organisations to tackle systemic crises

A collaboration between the Guerrilla Foundation and the Smart CSOs Lab

An increasing number of civil society organisations (CSOs) are becoming aware that they might be winning battles but losing the war with respect to addressing the many crises the world is facing, such as those related to climate change, inequality and democracy. This realisation has prompted several CSOs and funders to embark on a transformative journey of engaging deeper with systems thinking, improving understandings of the root causes of systemic crises and experimenting with leverage points that could help bring forth the Great Transition.

August 2018

The neighbourhood as a commons

The Day of the Good Life as a catalyst for an urban transformation towards sustainability

What would our cities look like if they were designed and governed bottom-up, by the citizens themselves, as commons? If such an idea does not reflect the reality of an entire city 365 days a year, then we could start with one day a year in one neighbourhood. This is the core of the approach to transformation behind the Day of the Good Life, Tag des guten Lebens in German.

July 2018

Why we need to switch the story for the Great Transition to succeed

From a narrative of oppression to a story of human evolution

image of evolution of man from primates

I have been convening conversations about the role of activism in tackling the root causes of climate change, inequality etc. for more than ten years. During the last three years, the conversations in social justice and environmental activist spaces have changed considerably.

June 2017

The circular economy cannot achieve its aims without deeper system change

Since the Ellen MacArthur Foundation was launched in 2010 with the aim of popularising the idea of a circular economy, the concept has gained momentum from policy makers, businesses and NGOs.

February 2017

Unpicking the assumptions underneath our visions and theories of change

At Smart CSOs Lab we have started work on our Pathways to the Great Transition project. Part of this project is a research dialogue — we will engage researchers and practitioners on two guiding questions:

The vision question (‘what’): Is there a puzzle of the new/next system emerging, and if so, what are some of the key elements?
The strategies question (‘how’): Can we identify a number of promising pathways for activists and funders towards the Great Transition?

the European flag as a puzzle with a piece of it missing

December 2016

Make Europe Great Again

The more often you repeat something, the more likely it is that the idea sticks. For example, the most active ‘Feel the Bern’ supporters distributed thousands of messages describing Hillary Clinton as a neoliberal evil that had to be avoided at all costs. This seems to have influenced many of the millions of young activists who gathered around Bernie Sanders’ U.S. presidential candidacy.

November 2016

Reflections on the Degrowth Conference in Budapest

The signs from the Degrowth Conference have now been removed from the walls of the portentous building of Corvinus University, and the streets of Budapest emptied from the stalls and the babble of the Degrowth-Week.