Good governance and transparency

21 January 2011 L'équipe TAOA

Good governance and transparency

« The first objective of governance is to show how to live together and how to run the common wealth pacifically; to maintain living conditions, peace, fulfillment and balance between humanity and the biosphere.” Pierre Calame (Managing Director of the Fondation Charles Leopold Meyer from 1988 to 2009.)

If we take the definition by Wikipedia, governance seems to be close to good government; it indicates above all a sort of shift in thinking, decision taking and assessment.

Among all the experiences we were talked about, we have been very impressed by the extraordinary organization of the Network Mar Y Sierras that had several discussion, decision and audit units. Concerning nodos, different areas, the district and at last the global Network RTS; Commissions of coordinators, of Auditors and Work Commissions.

« The district Mar y Sierras can be proud to be the regional network that possesses the system that offers the best guarantee for the organization and transparency in all the networks of the country. So, its good practices have greatly influenced the functioning of the Federal Commission of creditos of RTS” Carlos Perez Lora, coordinator of the network Mar y Sierras ( trueque y Economia Solidaria p 214 S.Hintze)

A fair governance was insured thanks to the fact that:

The coordinators and the representatives were elected by the members of the nodo
Responsibilities were shared and there was a turnover in roles
Properties and actors were committed into the decisions and the project co-building
Decision taking was collective
The organisation was participative
They created a reciprocal control committee to issue and circulate currency (see currency control)
Auditing the accounts was compulsory
The people committed in the organization were all unpaid volunteers

The words “barter club network” appear ridiculous when we become aware that behind the words there is, not only an experience of alternative business, but a true experience of alternative society. We knew the taken-over firms (empresas recuperadas), in which , after the manager had left, the workers had taken back their work tool to maintain their firms’ survival; we discover the experience of a “taken –over country”, in which, after the government had pulled out, the Argentineans had decided to master the organization of their country, to survive. Heloisa Primavera describes this experience of Argentinean bartering as a reply to the slow death throes of the Welfare State.

The challenge of a self-managed country (or even a single self-managed district) was too ambitious no doubt, since, on this scale, governance is a true challenge.

In spite of all efforts to get organized, the network Mar y Sierras did not avoid schemes for power, corruption, and some coordinators’ and prosumers’ abuse. Shall we call it a failure? Do we know of a country that could be said to be well-governed?

Detailed description of the organization of the network Mar y Sierras :

In each nodo :

1. The general assembly of the nodo prosumers

it is the governing body of the nodo
They elect the coordinator’s commission of the nodo
It can be called by the coordinators’commission or under their own decision
It specifies the operating rules of the nodo.

2. The commission of the coordinators of the nodo

It consists of three coordinators at least, elected by the Prosumers’ Assembly, for 6 months, re-elected once only. There must be a six-month deferred period if the coordinator wishes to stand for election again.
The coordinators represent the nodo at the Coordinators’District Assembly

3. The nodo’s auditing Commission

It can be composed of coordinators or other associates, at least three of them
It manages and analyzes the nodo accounts

In the district :

4. The coordinators’district commission

It represents all the nodos of a specific area
It discusses the ideas, projects, problems of the nodos of a same district
There must be collective agreement for the decisions, and if a vote is necessary, one nodo=one vote.
There are weekly or by-monthly meetings, if needed.

5. The District Auditing Commission

It provides a reciprocal audit on the nodos’ accountancy ( double or triple reciprocal check up, from one nodo to another)
It assesses the district statement of accounts

6. Work commissions

Every Coordinator’s District Commission, to improve its functionning, can repeat the Regional Work Commissions, or create new ones necessary to its development. This division of labour entitles them to share out tasks according to every coordinator’s abilities.
Example of Commissions : creditos ( issueing, distributing and controlling social currency), Health ( Professionals, health system, blood bank, and drug banks), Culture, Sports, Tourism, Training ( coordinators and auditors, food processing, micro-business), medias, Ethics and
They are open to all those who want to give time and can take part in one of them, or more

In the Region

7. Coordinators’ Regional Committee

Representative body of the regional network management
They meet at least once a month, at the end of the month; they can meet every week if necessary
They have the same function as the District Commission but at a regional level, to rule the regional network
There must be collective agreement to take decisions or a vote ( one region=one vote)

8. Coordinators ‘ Regional Committee and Auditing

They meet once a month at least before the meeting of the coordinators’regional committee
They provide a reciprocal control of the regional accounts
They assess the regional situation

9. Regional Counselling Assembly or ‘ Council of the wise’

Some coordinators or prosumers that were distinguished because of their commitment in favour of the nodo and also of the regional network are appointed by their peers to be members of this counseling assembly, on an honorary basis.
They advise the Coordinators’ Regional Committee

At a national level, The RTS

The Mar y Sierras network is part of the RTS

10. The Coordinators’interzonal Commission

They are the RTS representative body at a national level
Every other month, The Coordinators’ Regional Committee dispatches at least 2 Regional Delegates (RD) to the Coordinators’ Intezonal Commission
The RDs present ideas, projects, enterprises that can be copied or shared in different regions

11. The Federal Commission of the Creditos

The Federal Commission of the Creditos is to see to the transparency of the accounts
The DRs present the accounts of their region
They assess the RTS accounts

To go further :

http://redlases.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/fr2003_miracle_argentin_troc_hp.pdf

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