2. From Theory to Practice

The goal of this chapter is to propose a matrix of common good dynamics allowing us to measure the quality of the nexus achieved at the local level. Jorge Medina and Mathias Nebel build on the previous chapters and set the bases for the metric that will be presented in Chapter 3. Most importantly, they focus on a metric of the nexus. There are other measures or proxies for specific common goods such as health, education or associative life, however what is lacking is a metric of how specific common goods build up—along a common good dynamic—into a nexus of common goods. They are thus interested in processes: the conditions required for a positive dynamic to exist within a nexus of common goods. The descriptive and normative dimensions of this dynamic make up our matrix of the nexus. This chapter identifies, on the ground of empirical studies and the theoretical background, five key normative drivers of common good dynamics at local level: Collective agency freedom as the engine of common good dynamics; Justice, Governance and Stability as the social functions needed to drive the complex equilibrium of specific common goods toward an ever more human coexistence; and Humanity, as the systemic outcome of common good dynamics.