On Thinking Local First

I'm fully sold on Chestertonian economics (sorry, pun fully intended). Chesterton's economic theory was called Distributism, and briefly stated it is the theory that the means of capital production should be distributed amongst as many people as possible. Chesterton compared Distributism to monogamy - just as we all should fully possess our spouses, but we should limit ourselves to a single one, so we should own our property but desire not to possess our neighbor's rightful share.

It is a sane and responsible ownership - man is custodian of his own domain, pruning, tending, and bringing forth the fruits thereof. In the process of this ownership he is realizing his destiny as a steward of creation.

Distributism has had a rough time of it in certain circles. Richard John Neuhaus once proposed that if Chesterton were alive today he would bend to the realities of modern economics and renounce Distributism. Chestertonians replied that modern economics only demonstrate the problems that Chesterton foresaw - the concentration of vast amounts of wealth in a small minority, the intrusion of commercial interests into politics, and the common man's lack of power in the face of commercial interests. As such, they claim that Chesterton would not renounce Distributism, but rather he would even more urgently repeat the call for the distribution of capital to the Common Man.

How would we, if we were so inclined, put into practice the principles of Distributism? The most straightforward way to be Distributists is to vote with our dollars for small, independent merchants whenever we are able. Practically, it is very difficult to make all of our purchases at small, independent businesses. But it is possible to make some, and to incrementally take back some of the ground that has been given up to large, corporate entities.

In Worcester, some local independents have organized to promote the value of thinking local. Worcester Local First is a network of over 200 locally owned and operated businesses in the City of Worcester (full disclosure, I work for Worcester Local First). Other organizations have sprung up throughout North America. Although a lot of these organizations are motivated by a progressive ethos against big business (in a podcast promoted by the national umbrella organization, a speaker calls for a return to 'The Spirit of Stonehenge'!), there is much to be admired in their organization and efforts towards encouraging what they call 'Local Economies'.

In this they are Chestertonian. As with all things, Chesterton sought to return power to the Common Man, who he saw as the guarantor of Common Sense.

For more on Distirbutism, check out the following resources:

http://chesterton.org/gkc/distributist.html - The American Chesterton Society's Distributist page
http://distributism.blogspot.com/ - The Distributist Review Blog