Centre for Commons Organising, Values Equalities and Resilience (COVER)

The centre aims to create a pioneering and global agenda for studying the theoretical and practical possibilities of how commons values based on principles of cooperation, collaboration, and open knowledge sharing can foster more egalitarian, inclusive, and participative 21st century economies, communities, and organisations

Part of Essex Business School

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We explore how cooperation, collaboration, and open knowledge sharing can radically transform organisations and society

Our research investigates how principles of cooperation, collaboration, and open knowledge sharing can foster more egalitarian, inclusive, and participative 21st-century economies, communities, technologies, and organisations.

The commons refers to the shared or public ownership of goods, resources, services, and knowledge. Across the world, innovative commons ideas ranging from community land trusts to participatory budgeting to worker owned cooperatives are being used to address climate change and global inequality. This Centre for Commons Organising, Values Equalities and Resilience (COVER) studies different theories for creating, managing, and promoting the commons – asking important questions how the commons can improve goods and services, be sustainably financed, and effectively marketed to populations and policy-makers.

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Commons Development and Transformation

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Commons Technology

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Digitalisation, Work and the Commons

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Commons Design and Organisation

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Commons Health and Services

Commons Education

Our research

Our impact and events

Our members

"The vision of the centre is to explore the theoretical and practical possibilities of how common ownership and organising based on values of cooperation, collaboration, and open knowledge sharing can foster more egalitarian, inclusive and participative 21st-century economies, communities, and organisations."

Professor Bloom Co-director, centre for commons, organising, values equalities and resilience

A group of protesters, mostly out of focus. In the foreground two young Black people wearing baseball caps kneel, each with a fist raised. The fist on the bottom right is in focus.

Centre for Commons Organising Values Equalities and Resilience (COVER) Co-Directors:

Peter Bloom, Phoebe Moore, and Stevphen Shukaitis

Email: coveres@essex.ac.uk

Essex Business School University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex

CO4 3SQ

Link: Essex Business School

Centre for Commons Organising, Values Equalities and Resilience (COVER)

We explore how cooperation, collaboration, and open knowledge sharing can radically transform organisations and society

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