COG

Homestead Discussion


[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

HOMESTEAD: Re:Updated request to Ellerman and Turnbull re: response to Turnbull's proposal to World Bank and Ellerman involvement



Shann and David:

        I have permission from the editors to take the time to seek confirmation of Shann's statements about the reaction of the World Bank President and David Ellerman's work regarding Shann's proposal, if it can be just a few sentences with footnoted references.I would like quoteable language from David regarding what it is appropriate to say about that meeting, if I am to add more of the language Shann wanted to what I quote below here.
Deb
        Deb added the following at the end of the section now entitled " Use of Central Banks to Spread Ownership". The section begins with the Capital Homestead Act material and has the following paragraph at the end of that section, followed by footnote 28 also excerpted here.
" Shann Turnbull developed another proposal for using central banks to broaden ownership for the May 2001 COG meeting. He also presented it to the President of the World Bank He explains how client countries could establish self-financing economic development on a democratic basis consistent with the mission of COG and that of the World Bank to "eliminate poverty" and provided a basis for terminating the need for the World Bank and other international lending institutions when foreign exchange was not required in a development project./28

 28/ "The Use of Central Banks to Spread Ownership", http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=277508"

I did not include the information about the actions of Ellerman and the Pres. of the World Bank because on this deadline I do not have time to vet them with the other sources.Based on a conversation I had with Ellerman last spring, I thought he might have a different perspective on those events. I  am sending this to him to see if I misunderstand.

Shann requested that I include the following language
"2. Before the section on the Capital Homestead Act on page 14 -17 could you add a new short Section with the heading along the lines as follows:

The Use of Central Banks to Spread Ownership

At the COG Strategy meeting in May 2001, Shann Turnbull was invited to present a paper on "The Use of Central Banks to Spread Ownership", refer to http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=277508 This paper introduced an original framework of economic analysis used but not explained in his 1975 book Democratising the Wealth of Nations whose full text can be downloaded from the COG library at http://cog.kent.edu/lib/TurnbullBook/TurnbullBook.htm  The framework is explained in a TOES book, Building Sustainable Communities: Tools and Concepts for Self-Reliant Economic Change, C. George Bennello, Robert Swann, Shann Turnbull, Edited by Ward Morehouse, Bootstrap Press of the Intermediate Technology Development Group of North America Inc. New York, New York, 1989, Revised second edition 1997 and also in his 1992 paper 'New Strategies for Structuring Society From a Cashflow Paradigm', posted in the COG library at http://cog.kent.edu/lib/turnbull1/turnbull1.html.

The article prepared for the COG meeting was also presented to the President of the World Bank to describe how client countries could establish self-financing economic development on a democratic basis consistent with the mission of COG and that of the World Bank to "eliminate poverty".  The article also explained the basis for terminating the need for the World Bank and other international lending institutions when foreign exchange was not required in a development project.  In consultation with David Ellerman, Economic Advisor to the Chief Economist of the World Bank and Ann Pettifor, Chief Executive of the Jubilee 2000 debt cancellation campaign and now CEO of Jubilee plus, Turnbull developed a plan for the World Bank to sell its loans to a self-financing Economic Development Facility established in client countries funded by their Central Bank. 

The President of the Bank, a former Australian colleague of Turnbull, gave Ellerman permission to develop this proposal but added his own idea that loans from the World Bank to the private sector in client countries also be included in the buy back proposal.  Both public and private sector buy backs are included in an explanation of this proposal in Turnbull's article "Liquidating the World Bank: with debtor countries buying back their loans and introducing self-financing development"  as listed on the Jubilee plus web page at http://www.jubileeplus.org/opinion/shann_Liquidwb.htm  A Op Ed summary published in The Australian Financial Review on August 7, p.55, 2001 is posted at http://cog.kent.edu/archives/ownership/msg02062.html The core idea was inspired by the writings of Louis Kelso who also inspired followers in the USA to develop a "Capital Homestead Act" that represents a variation of these proposals as outlined in the next section."

Deb

At 03:14 PM 9/9/01 +1000, you wrote:
At 01:34 PM 9/9/2001, you wrote:
2. Before the section on the Capital Homestead Act on page 14 -17 could you add a new short Section with the heading along the lines as follows:

There was no room to add all of this but I did add a sentence and a short footnote citing your paper.

Dear Deb

I cannot accept your above decision without question and challenge.

I believe that the creditability and significance of COG activities and its contribution to making a real difference towards achieving its mission is substantially diminished with its sponsors and potential sources of funds in not finding room for the suggested three paragraphs. As I mentioned earlier there is much descriptive material that could be eliminated to not just making space for the three paragraphs but also in providing a much more focused presentation.

What other parts of your document provide more creditability than having the President of the World Bank not just taking notice but also making his own contribution to proposals and facilitating action?  Please indicate how you defend your editorial priorities?  Please consult your co-author.

Regards




Shann Turnbull  Ph.D.
P.O. Box 266 Woollahra, Sydney, Australia, 1350
Ph: +612 9328 7466 office; +612 9327 8487 home; Fax: +612 9327 1497;
Life long E-mail: sturnbull@mba1963.hbs.edu  Alternate:sturnbull@optusnet.com.au
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~sturnbull/index.html
Papers at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=26239
with other papers & book at http://cog.kent.edu/library.html