Presentation delivered in the Workshop of the Akademia Network's Working Group on Democratic Energy Model for Europe, held in April 18-19 2015.

1. 1
Working Group on Alternative Energy Model
Akademia Network, Brussels, 18-19 April 2015
J.M. Díaz Nafría (Universidad de León; HM)
SUBSIDIARITY:
A PATH FOR DEMOCRACY AND
JUSTICE CONCERNING ENERGY

2. 2
Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice
concerning energy
“Complexity does not put us only in the distress of the
uncertain, it allows us to see besides the probable, the
possibilities of the improbable...
We are in an epoch of doubtful and uncertain combat”.
Edgar Morin
Contents
1. Subsidiarity and Viable Systems Model
2. Case 1: Allende’s Chile National Economy
3. Case 2: Mondragon Cooperative Group
4. Proposal
Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy

3. 1. Subsidiarity
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• It was first develop with the Christian Reformation related to the
Calvinist conception of the common being (Sinod of Emden, 1571:
decision making at the lowest possible level)
• It becomes of major political relevance in the 19th C. in the context of
growing inequality in the industrialized societies (Capital-Work)
• It becomes part of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
• Principle of Participatory Democracy  Positive Subsidiarity
• Advocacy of Conservative Liberalists  Negative Subsidiarity
• Juridical Principle (Civil Law / Penal Law…)
• Organic principle for activity in complex organisms: action is taken at
the lowest level, the closest to arisen issue.
Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy

4. 1. Subsidiarity
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• EU (since Mastrich) > General principle of European Union law
Under the principle of subsidiarity, in areas which do not fall within its exclusive
competence, the Union shall act only if and in so far as the objectives of the proposed
action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States, either at central level or
at regional and local level, but can rather, by reason of the scale or effects of the proposed
action, be better achieved at Union level
• UN (UNDP):
Decentralization, or decentralising governance, refers to the restructuring or
reorganisation of authority so that there is a system of co-responsibility between
institutions of governance at the central, regional and local levels according to the
principle of subsidiarity, thus increasing the overall quality and effectiveness of the
system of governance, while increasing the authority and capacities of sub-national levels.
Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy

5. 1. Subsidiarity - Viable System
Model
5Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy

6. 1. Subsidiarity - Viable System
Model
6Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy
Policy making
Planning and strategy
Stability
Optimisation

7. 1. Subsidiarity - Viable System
Model
7Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy
Nested systems:
Levels of Recursion:

8. 2. Case 1: devising democratic Socialism
in Chile
Starting process of
nationalizing half
industrialized
economy
1970, Allende’s
democratic pathway
to reach the
government
8Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy

9. Production + GDP + Wages + inflation + scarcity
Nationalized
firms
9Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy
2. Case 1: devising democratic Socialism
in Chile

10. 2. Case 1: CYBERSYN
Fernando Flores  Stafford Beer (cybernetician)
Central Government  CORFO  Industry
CORFO (Corporación de Fomento de la Producción)
Cybernetic principles in the industry managing
Management Cybernetics  Industry: Complex relationships
10Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy

11. • Cybernet: was designed to use the telex network for real-time
monitoring of each business. This control may seem contrary to
Allende’s idea of individual freedom, however, this control was
limited to external observation, results per business day, which
was framed in the idea of centralized economy.
• Cyberstride: collected the set of software used for collect,
process, and distribute data to and from each of the state
enterprises.
• CHECO: short for 'Chilean Economy' was never materialized, but it
was a mathematical and statistical model sought to simulate the
behavior of the Chilean economy as to predict it’s behavior and
likewise seek solutions before problems arise.
• Opsroom: was a space aimed to control the whole project. It
consisted of seven chairs with simple systems for any type of
worker could hold such positions. Opsroom was only materialized
in a prototype.
11Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy
2. Case 1: CYBERSYN

12. 12Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy
2. Case 1: CYBERSYN

13. 2. Case 1: CYBERSYN
The worker as a fundamental unit
13Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy

14. 2. Case 2: Mondragón Co-ops Group
14Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy
• Corporation and federation of worker
cooperatives based in the Basque region of
Spain founded in 1956
• 10th largest Spanish company (asset turnover)
and leading Basque business group
• 74,061 employees (2013) in 257 companies
and organizations in four areas of activity:
finance, industry, retail and knowledge
• Operates in accordance with Statement on
the Co-operative Identity maintained by the
International Co-operative Alliance.

15. 2. Case 2: Mondragón Co-ops Group
15Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy
Cooperative level

16. 2. Case 2: Mondragón Co-ops Group
16Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy
Group level (federation)

17. 4. Promoting democracy and justice in
Energy issues
17Subsidiarity: A Path for Democracy and Justice concerning energy
Europe
States
Regions / departments
Municipalities
Communities
Households

18. SUBSIDIARITY: A PATH FOR DEMOCRACY
AND JUSTICE CONCERNING ENERGY
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