Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Basic and derived needs

[TR Ruddick (truddick]

Our group is not close to dealing with these issues yet, but I hope the day
will soon come--

Meanwhile, I'd like to share what I think, not because I believe I have any
great insights but because I trust this list to test my assumptions and
correct them where needed.

On the issue of "types of need", I don't see the division as a practical
one.  We're likely to find disagreements on the urgency and execution of
every worthwhile task.  Ultimately, I'd think defining necessary tasks is
going to come out of the usual messy group decision-making process; basic
needs and derived needs might wind up having the same high (or low)
priority.

Once the group has established a list of needed tasks, I've been imagining
that the community could develop some sort of "task auction" system.  As
I'm imagining it, each household would be required to earn "task credits"
by doing maintenance work; the household would compete for desired tasks by
bidding to do them for a certain number of credits, low-bidding household
wins.

The advantages of this sort of system would be that people would have an
opportunity to do jobs they really enjoyed--or alternatively, to do a task
that no one enjoyed but in turn earn more credits (and therefore work less)
by doing it.

Disadvantages might include the need for recordkeeping and policing of
non-performing workers--which I gather is sometimes a problem in any system.

Right or wrong or both?

TR Ruddick
Dayton Cohousing


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