1. Reframing
In a community economy collective actions are based on reframing ourselves as economic actors who can make a difference in the world and reframing the economy as the outcome of the actions we take.
This is the focus in Chapter 1 of Take Back the Economy.
For example, in the United States Sheena Matheiken quit her job in the advertising industry to start The Uniform Project TM , an initiative that changes day-to-day practices around fashion while raising money for girls’ education in India.
Meanwhile in India the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) (with a membership of over 1.7 million women) runs the SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre to assist poor women use their traditional skills in embroidery to build a living for themselves and their families by accessing international fashion markets.
Efforts to reframe the economy overall include the formulation of indicators of development that take into account more than just mainstream economic measures (such as GDP) and even query whether economic development (as generally understood) is aligned with well-being and happiness. These indicators include:
Genuine Progress Indicator (Maryland Dept of Natural Resources)
Gross National Happiness (Bhutan)
OECD Better Life Index (in multiple languages)
World Happiness Report (UN).