Podcast

APPROPRIATE explores different dimensions of ownership, its political dynamics and social impact, and ventures into thinking about alternatives to ownership. APPROPRIATE brings together researchers from different disciplines, activists and policy makers to discuss their perspectives on a wide range of topics, including the sharing economy, urban commons, housing, natural resources, reproductive medicine and bioeconomy. APPROPRIATE is the podcast of the Collaborative Research Centre "Structural Change of Property" of the Universities of Jena and Erfurt (SFB TRR 294).   
Music: CC BY-SA, Song Paper Tiger's Grip by Mid-Air Machine   

For questions or contributions to the podcast, please write to appropriate_podcast@protonmail.com!

In this episode, Robin K. Saalfeld engages in an insightful conversation with Lisa Adkins, a noted Professor of Sociology at the University of Sydney. Their discussion traces the narrative of Adkins's book, "The Asset Economy. Property Ownership and the New Logic of Inequality," (2020) co-authored by Martijn Konings and Melinda Cooper. Their thought-provoking work charts the emergence of an asset economy marked by property inflation, a term used to describe the escalated rise in the value of housing assets. The unfolding of this phenomenon paves the way for a new perspective on inequality, primarily focusing on market-driven economies like Australia, the US, and Great Britain. The shift from traditional commodification to a more asset-centered approach, especially in the housing sector, forms a significant part of their narrative. The dialogue further expands as Robin K. Saalfeld introduces empirical data from the research project B06 exploring property inequality among German couples. Through extensive interviews with 50 German couples, the research highlights the crucial role residential property plays for couples. Robin K. Saalfeld and Lisa Adkins delve into the potential characteristics of an asset economy within the German population, raising pertinent questions about the interplay between gender and property ownership. This episode provides a nuanced exploration of the complex tapestry of property, economics, and couple and gender dynamics, contributing to an understanding of the evolving nature of inequality in market-centric societies.

Housing and energy are part of public services. In the wake of crises, their organisation and form of ownership is being discussed. Proposals include the transfer of privatised property into public ownership. In the area of housing, the campaign "Deutsche Wohnen and Co.Enteignen" (in English: Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen and Co.) goes even further and demands the socialisation of housing. Also in the field of energy, there are such demands and also already a concrete implementation with the association BürgerEnergie Thüringen. But how does the demanded socialisation differ from communalisation? What challenges must be taken into account? And is communal ownership always more socially just than private ownership? In this podcast episode, perspectives from academia, civil society and politics have their say. A podcast with Silke van Dyk, Raul Zelik, Sebastian Kohl, Cara Röhner, Joanna Kusiak, Reinhard Guthke and Florian Schmidt. 

Part II of the "Global Commons" series

In the second episode of our mini-series about Global Commons, we hear from Isabel Feichtner, a current Fellow at the New Institute, where she works on Global and Urban Commons and in particular Commons Public Partnerships. In this episode, we will be focusing on a specific global commons- the deep seabed. Feichtner expertly shows us how the deep seabed regime, often hailed as a successful example of international cooperation and management of a global commons, has actually developed with an economic extraction focus to the detriment of distributive justice and environmental protection. 

Teilen als Alternative klingt erstmal vielversprechend. Unternehmen der sogenannten Sharing Economy wie „AirBnB“ und „Couchsurfing“ im Bereich „Homesharing“ sowie „TeilAuto“ oder „Miles“ im Bereich Carsharing knüpfen an diese Versprechung an – und scheinen auf den ersten Blick Lösungsansätze für gesellschaftliche Problemlagen wie den motorisierten Individualverkehr oder zunehmende Vereinzelung anzubieten: Wer sich ein Auto teilt, braucht kein eigenes mehr zu besitzen und verzichtet damit auch auf Privateigentum. Wer in der zunehmend individualisierten Gesellschaft vereinzelt, kann über die Plattform AirBnB authentisch mit anderen zusammenwohnen – wie in einer Wohngemeinschaft oder Kleinfamilie. Dass damit aber auch neue Ausschlüsse und Problemlagen produziert werden können und dass in einer kapitalistischen Gesellschaft zunächst Privateigentum vorhanden sein muss, um dieses anschließend teilen zu können, gerät dabei in den Hintergrund. Christoph Henning und Henrike Katzer arbeiten im Teilprojekt „Dinge verfügbar machen. Eigentum als spzeifische Form der Weltbeziehung" des Sonderforschungsbereiches und forschen zu genau diesen Ambivalenzen der Sharing Economy an den Beispielen Car- und Home-Sharing. Im Gespräch mit Charlotte Domberg berichten sie über ihre Forschungsergebnisse. 

Part III of “Future of Social Rights” series

In the last episode of our mini-series about the future of social rights, Massimo de Angelis speaks about the meaning of ownership for the commons. He connects the notion of property, commons and the common with special regard to needs for social change. Massimo de Angelis was professor for political economy at the University of East London until 2020. He is editor of the webjournal “The Commoner”.

Part I of “Future of Social Rights” series

The first episode of our mini-series about the future of social rights will give an introduction about the question of social rights as property which is inspired by the notion of social property developed by the sociologist Robert Castel. The speakers are Silke van Dyk, Steffen Liebig and Markus Kip from the Collaborative Research Center.