A new ethics for a social economy?

The objective of a social economy is to encourage trade with business which contributes additional social value, yet the ethics under which it often operates differs little from the profit maximising economy it aims to displace.

Five years ago, on Skoll Social Edge, the question arose - Who will build a more effective marketplace? It provoked some strong comments from my late colleague, who at the time was on mission in Ukraine, challenging corruption and trying to leverage impact investment for children left to die in remote orphanages:  : 

"If we invent such a system, is it anything new? Or is it just a twist on the old system?

"One thing that can be collaborated openly is this: a Code of Ethics. But, whose ethics? What org(s) will enforce them, and how? Who decides who gets in, how, and why? "

At the time we had customers, like Guardian Media Group and The British Council, who simply didn't pay our invoices, while at the same time being advocates for social enterprise. Our strategy plan was at risk of its social mission being undermined by vested economic interests. As it would turn out, within another year it would be hijacked by a corporate consortium who didn't want us as part of the solution.

Neither was their any solidarity, the Social Enterprise Coaliton of which we had become members told us that our work was  beyond their current focus. There was much the same response from the government social enterprise unit and the APPG on social enterprise,l wo didn't respond at all.

In 2009 we'd been presenting on the alternative model of people-centered economics at Sumy State University in Ukraine. Within weeks, as I discovered belatedly Skoll and Unltd were hosting a comference at Said Business School in Oxford to discuss whether an new  kind of capitalism was possible.  

When economists at Harvard reasoned as we had that capitalism could be deployef for social benefit, specifically transitioning childrem from institutions to loving family homes  I tried to engage on the subject As a practioner, I was censored for having the temerity to contradict John Elkington and Mark Kramer.

Within a year John Elkington and his colleague, Pamela Hartigan at Skoll's business school would be promoting Breakthrough Capitalism which looks almost identical to people-centered economics, albeit from the safety of a lecturn. . 

This exclusion and re-invention of our work would become a repetitive experience, not least with the EU who have recently "conceived" a people-centred model of business and unsurprising it makes the same case as we had 18 years ago, for business which pus people and not proifit maxinisation at its core. It was shared online with the intention of seeding social purpose business. 

In 2009 Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann, the President of the United Nations General Assembly said this in a speech: What should be was far from the expeirence of being a practitioner

"The anti-values of greed, individualism and exclusion should be replaced by solidarity, common good and inclusion. The objective of our economic and social activity should not be the limitless, endless, mindless accumulation of wealth in a profit-centred economy but rather a people-centred economy that guarantees human needs, human rights, and human security, as well as conserves life on earth. These should be universal values that underpin our ethical and moral responsibility."

if there's to be a new ethics for this social economy surely it must dictate that passing off someone elses innovation as ones' own isn't the starting point, neither is excluding others by blowing out candles and pissing on shoes.

When we spoke out in 2006 about 'Death Camps for Children' it would be 5 years before the Sunday Times wrote about Torez and 6 years befor BBC4 focussed on Kalinovka with 'Ukraine's Forgotten Children'  No mention of the life lost in social enterprise..

The social enterprise community along with Unicef and USAID had turned a willful blind eye and a deaf ear. If the vulnerable are at risk, can there be anything more selfish than the unwillingness to share even the story?  

We couldn't get help from Richard Branson and Virgin Unite who were too busy building their own reputation on what they were going to do

Who wants to help build a new code of ethics which transcends this crony culture? If the EU has elected to promote a people-centered model of business, lets make sure it isn't rendered into something neoliberal, corporate compliant and meaningless.