Stop treating the Rochdale Pioneers like saints. Treat them like developers. π οΈ
Their 'Cash Only' rule wasn't a moral stance β it was a protocol to prevent bad debt. Read my audit of the 1844 Statutes.
rootandbranch.online/library/roch...
#Coops #History #Governance
Posts by Shaun Murdock | Root & Branch Translation
For #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm highlighting W.E.B. Du Bois's 1907 study on 'Economic Co-operation'.
He documented how Black communities built their own liquidity engines through Secret Societies and Church funds. DeFi before the internet.
rootandbranch.online/library/hist...
#BHM #BlackHistory #DeFi
The end of 'Just-in-Time.' π
My Resilience Stack connects 2026 geopolitics with B2B Mutual Credit. If we don't build interoperable liquidity rails now, our local economies won't survive the next credit crunch.
rootandbranch.online/library/resi...
#Geopolitics #DeFi #MutualCredit
'Impact Investment' often comes with strings attached. π§΅
My new Sovereignty Audit helps co-ops filter term sheets for 'Toxic Covenants' that bypass your Asset Lock. If money destroys your governance, it isn't investment β it's capture.
rootandbranch.online/library/sove...
#Coops #SocialFinance
The Library just got an upgrade. ποΈ
Iβve uploaded 4 new cards β deep dives into the plumbing of the alternative economy.
From auditing 'Toxic Covenants' in VC term sheets to W.E.B. Du Boisβs 'Group Economy.'
Explore the new stacks: rootandbranch.online/library/
#SolidarityEconomy #DeFi
Capitalism didn't evolve naturally. It was built on the enclosure of the commons and the body.
Silvia Federici's Caliban and the Witch is essential reading for anyone trying to understand the 'hidden debt' of the modern economy: Social Reproduction.
My review: rootandbranch.online/library/revi...
Vital work. It echoes the 2003 Charter of the Brazilian Solidarity Economy Forum, which drew a hard line between the 'Third Sector' (filling gaps) and 'Solidarity Economy' (transforming the logic). Financing movement infrastructure requires us to maintain that distinction.
An Asset Lock isn't a pair of handcuffs. It's a vault. π
In European cooperative law, this is called 'Indivisible Reserves'. The capital belongs to the movement, not the members. It ensures the mission survives the founders.
rootandbranch.online/library/soci...
The "Tragedy of the Commons" is a myth used to justify enclosure.
Elinor Ostrom proved that communities can self-manage resources better than the State or Market. How? Polycentric Governance. Not a single centre of power, but nested layers of decision-making.
rootandbranch.online/library/gove...
Our NEW toolkit β Preventing workplace sexual harassment β is a comprehensive toolkit to help #coops comply with the Equality Act 2010. To ensure your co-operative can demonstrate it is taking action to prevent workplace sexual harassment visit: buff.ly/XaqPHcU #HRsupport
Ecology is a governance issue. π±
When I translate territorial disputes for Mongabay, I don't just translate the "nature" words. I translate the legal mechanisms of enclosure.
From Rapa Nui to Peru, the fight for land is a fight for definition.
rootandbranch.online/library/eco-...
We are not the 'Third Sector'. We are the alternative. π
My translation of the Brazilian FBES Charter rejects the idea that we exist just to fix capitalism's mistakes. We are here to build the Economy of Work.
rootandbranch.online/library/char...
#SolidarityEconomy #Brazil
Don't let them 'domesticate' your text.
When we translate radical concepts into 'smooth' corporate English, we strip them of their political teeth.
I practice 'Thick Translation', preserving the friction of concepts like Autogestion.
Precision is resistance.
rootandbranch.online/library/mani...
Real inclusion isn't an HR policy; itβs a legal structure.
Italyβs Law 381 uses 'Type B' co-ops to move marginalized workers from charity cases to worker-owners.
I've translated the full statute to show how it works: rootandbranch.online/library/law-...
#SocialCoops #LegalHacking #SSE
If you use the master's metrics, you'll rebuild his house. ποΈ
EBITDA measures extraction. We need metrics for retention.
My 'Sovereignty Dashboard' tracks value retention vs extraction. Stop optimising for exit. Start optimising for autonomy. π³
rootandbranch.online/library/weal...
#Coops #SSE
2 journal articles. 2 books published. 4 free PDFs. π
Tracing the lost lineage of French Sociology from Proudhon to Durkheim.
βοΈ Plus: a new review of Silvia Federici to audit the Social Reproduction gap.
rootandbranch.online/library/prou...
#Proudhon #Sociology #History #OpenAccess
Can Big Data serve the little guy? π€
My latest translation looks at how the Third Sector adopts Generative AI. Tools like Dataro use algorithms not to sell ads, but to predict fundraising stability.
Full analysis: rootandbranch.online/library/big-...
#AI #NonProfits #DataPrivacy #SocialEconomy
Words shape reality. In the US/UK, 'Fiduciary Duty' binds directors to shareholders. In Europe, 'IntΓ©rΓͺt Collectif' frees them to serve the community. βοΈ
My glossary maps these 'untranslatables' to protect democratic economic spaces. π
rootandbranch.online/library/soci...
#SocialEconomy #Law
In 1936, Catalonia didnβt just 'take over' factories; they legislated a new economy.
My translation of the 1936 Decree recovers the legal 'Source Code' for worker control, bridging theory with modern practice.
Full PDF: rootandbranch.online/library/decr...
#SocialEconomy #SSE #Coops #Catalonia
The 'Perception Premium' is why global capital often ignores the Global South. We must stop translating for the 'gist' and start translating for legitimacy.
My latest on Social Fidelity as soft infrastructure: rootandbranch.online/library/tech...
#SocialEconomy #Coops #ImpactInvesting
A moody, green-toned photograph of a dense library with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a warm lamp, representing the deep research behind Root & Branch Translation.
Happy 2026! Iβm relaunching Root & Branch with a new resource: The Library.
It bridges foundational theory (Proudhon) with modern cooperative practice.
New translations:
ποΈ Law 381 (IT>EN)
βοΈ 1936 Decree (CA>EN)
π FBES Charter (PT>EN)
π rootandbranch.online/library/
#SocialEconomy #Coops