Machineries of intermediation

Here we outline families of patterns (schools) in the 'machineries' that intermediate provision in the real economy.

The material form of these machineries is **social-cultural** - that is, like the fields of domesticated economy, they manifestly are *labour processes*, and exist in ‘second nature’.

These are technologies of intermediation; they *organise* practices of provision and access rather than themselves materially provisioning. Typically, in many instances they are intended to run either as much *like* literal machines as possible (rigorously rule-based systems of practice) or, sometimes, *as* actual hugely extended (digital) machines.

Sometimes - more occasionally than frequently, in the modern, Fordist and post-Fordist eras - the rationale of rules is transparency, fairness or impartiality: an intentional absence of subjective consideration and emotional labour in the execution of an exchange, a helpful *simplification* of relationship.

In all these cases of ‘machineries’ the challenge is plainly to discover how these relationships can be stewarded within commons so that contributions in the commons and the enjoying of a commons are manifestly fair and visibly *valued in actual performances* of aware practice within somehow-knowable communities, rather than being abandoned to ‘invisible hands’ and abstract ‘value’; or even, to ‘values’ and tradition.

Thus, we are concerned with the commoning of . .

- Machineries of **exchange** - for example, alternative moneys, systems of credit, banking, funding and venturing. > More to be developed here xxx

- Machineries of **provision** - logistics, operations management, accounting in openvalue networks, contribution accounting > More to be developed here xxx

- Machineries of **fair trade** - Cross-region trade, organised in mutuality, in the face of dramatically uneven development and powerful capitalist and colonial formations. Reparation is a major consideration here. > More to be developed here xxx

- Machineries of **access to provision**, including: lawgiving, forms of legal right, owning vs stewarding, privileges and obligations of enjoying commons, sanctions in commons, legal identity, privacy. Also rights of fiat: force of arms, imprisonment, citizenship. > More to be developed here xxx

- Machineries of **rescue** - Disaster response, emergency public health, humanitarian emergency. > More to be developed xxx

--- Next: Transgressive and cyborg means