A Three Year Update
Announcing a framework to restore the capacities of American democracy to address systemic challenges for the mid-21st century
This post outlines a framework for addressing the systemic challenges facing American democracy in the wake of its 2024 elections.
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PART I
Research on systemic economic change
How can we guide our economies toward sustainable futures?
Over the past three years, this project has emerged at a pivotal period in American history. New technologies are rapidly reshaping our world while overlapping crises are endangering people’s well-being, social cohesion, and ecological sustainability. Rather than submitting to this constant state of crisis, our research identifies solutions that address these complex and interconnected challenges at their root causes.1
Given that the American Constitution grants ultimate authority to We the People, this project proposes a shift from a corporate-centric to a people-centric democracy aimed at tackling the challenges of the mid-21st century.
In the footnotes: How corporate power intervenes in American democracy2
Case example
Addressing the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States
The Jamestown colony, founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company, marked the first permanent English settlement in what would become the United States. As one of the earliest shareholder corporations chartered by the English Crown, the Virginia Company aimed to generate wealth and power for the homeland.3
The colony initially faced severe hardship, with only a fraction of its original settlers surviving starvation and conflict. However, a viable business model emerged when John Rolfe began cultivating tobacco as a cash crop in 1611. Rolfe’s marriage to Pocahontas in 1614—after she was captured and converted to Christianity—helped present an image of colonial stability and harmony to English stakeholders.
While tobacco cultivation ensured the colony’s survival, its continued corporate development made smoking the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarettes account for over 500,000 American deaths each year due to direct and secondhand smoke. This annual toll exceeds the nation’s total death toll from World War II. An additional 16 million Americans live with smoking-related diseases, costing hundreds of billions in healthcare spending and labor productivity losses while straining families and communities.4
Beyond these societal impacts lies a broader issue: the ability of corporations to position themselves as socially responsible entities while perpetuating harmful practices. The leading cigarette corporation, for instance, presents itself as a purpose-driven company committed to a "smoke-free future," even as it continues to lead in manufacturing, marketing, and profiting from tobacco smoking.5
This situation illustrates the Crisis of Corporate Purpose—where corporate purpose narratives can distort democratic engagement and obscure accountability on issues essential to social well-being. As American satisfaction with democracy has steadily declined in recent decades, our research investigates how democratic principles have been compromised by profit motives, leading to widespread harm through addiction, illness, polarization, emissions, and other chronic challenges.6
The encouraging news is that while Americans still retain the rights and protections of the Constitution, these issues can all be resolved through civil and civic solutions that address systemic challenges at their root causes.
In the footnotes: Why corporate purpose is our coalescing theme7
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PART II
Announcing our programming
Donella Meadows was a leading systems thinker and academic in the late 20th century. As the lead author of the Limits to Growth study in 1972, she and her team at MIT were the first to apply computer models that demonstrated how the continued dominance of economic growth as a social objective would lead to the overshoot and collapse of sustainable boundaries for modern civilization in the mid-21st century.8
More recently, Kate Raworth introduced the Doughnut Economics model, which represents a balance between continued social development and respecting ecological limits. While these perspectives are gaining traction, many students continue to be minted economics degrees on neoliberal principles that bypass these vital boundaries to growth.9
Developing the capacities of systems literacy
In her essay Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System10, Meadows identified twelve leverage points for addressing complex systemic issues. This project focuses on four of the most impactful:
#4: Self-organization: The ability of the system to evolve itself
#3: Goals: The ability to shift the purpose or goals of the system
#2: Paradigms: The ability to shift the mindsets behind the system
Through these lenses, we can better understand how the dominance of profit motives in shareholder capitalism contributes to the inability of American democracy to resolve its most preventable deaths and diseases, social divisions, and ecological degradations.
The highest leverage point, however, is #1: The ability to transcend paradigms. In our programming, this involves fostering an awareness that the capacity to address systemic challenges may already reside within ourselves, our communities, and in pragmatic reforms that reestablish a democratic society based on We the People rather than We the Corporations.11
To foster these capacities, our programming will feature a comprehensive public offering of educational materials, seminars, and workshops designed to:
Educate on the foundational structures of corporate systems,
Illuminate the underlying paradigms of our economic system, and
Empower individuals to contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future.
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Part III
Designing and developing for regenerative economies
We find ourselves in a historically significant period marked by the emergence of transformative technologies. Innovations such as artificial intelligence are reshaping our interactions with information, while blockchain technology creates new economic structures through decentralized digital architectures. However, these advancements often serve extractive profit motives. The challenge—and opportunity—lies in aligning these technologies with values that promote the common good, ultimately fostering human flourishing and planetary health.
To advance this vision, the Corporate Purpose Project has partnered with Roots Cooperative to establish a center of excellence that integrates the research capabilities of our initiative with the developmental strengths of this platform cooperative. Together, we are introducing four new projects aimed at supporting circular economies and regenerative economic development.12
Fabric Hospitality
Translating community ownership into circular economic gains
Fabric Hospitality is a brand and business model pioneered by Ron Ayers, a hospitality entrepreneur and franchiser who has experienced the takeover of tourism communities by outside wealth, pricing out longtime residents and business owners. His challenges as a small business owner and resident motivated him to design a business model that restores community wealth building to the hospitality sector. Rather than outside wealth owning and controlling hospitality businesses, Fabric Hospitality pioneers an innovative business model that generates wealth through community ownership and a circular economic model.
This model leverages community crowdfunding, a fundraising structure that became regulated under the 2012 JOBS Act in the United States. Under this model, a hospitality property can be acquired and become majority-owned by local community members as limited partners. As the minority owner, Fabric Hospitality offers the technology and approaches that translate local ownership into performance advantages.13
With numerous local owners actively referring guests, hosting events, and enhancing the hotel's reputation, this model positions an average-performing hotel under traditional ownership to become exceptional through the collective efforts of its diverse stakeholders.
To express interest in this model, you can contact us or Ron directly.14
Circletrust
A platform for regenerative organizing and resource allocation
The regenerative economy represents comprehensive solutions to the systemic crises we face today, incorporating practices such as permaculture education, restorative justice, and community wealth building that aim to generate sustainable and thriving communities.
Circletrust addresses the organizational and funding challenges faced by these initiatives. As a digital platform for collaborative resource sharing, it enables communities to pool skills, products, or financial resources and allocate them to projects that create meaningful change. It is essentially a community economy, generating grassroots solutions to today’s systemic crises.
You can try out some of its features today on Vivero. Development for Vivero began out of the Earth Regenerators community during the pandemic period. A distinguishing objective of the Circletrust platform is to effectively bridge regenerative economic development with conventional funders and funding practices.15
Dunadyne
Enabling regenerative communities to form decentralized nonprofit associations
Recent advancements in decentralized web technologies have spurred the formation of communities worldwide dedicated to supporting regenerative projects on various scales.
This past summer, a new legal structure called a Decentralized Unincorporated Nonprofit Association (DUNA) came into effect. It enables communities with more than 100 people to establish a legal and nonprofit identity.
Roots Cooperative launched Dunadyne as a platform enabling regenerative community leaders to prototype their DUNA. By leveraging artificial intelligence algorithms and a token economy, Dunadyne significantly reduces barriers that often hinder regenerative enterprises from effectively developing their legal identities.16
Pollinators for Change
Forming regenerative economies in our local communities
Pollinators for Change is designed to connect community change-makers with regenerative economy initiatives and help them discover their unique roles in bringing these efforts to life.
Launched in August, this initiative encompasses a framework identifying nearly forty sectors integral to a regenerative economy. Over a two-month planning cycle in Richmond, Virginia, we engaged accomplished and emerging change-makers—natural connectors within these fields—with invitations to collaboratively foster a regenerative economy.
Our inaugural gathering on October 16th was a success. Participants made an average of seven new connections and engaged in at least three generative conversations they were eager to continue. For more details, here are the start-up overview and presentation materials that we shared for it.
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Part IV
Our pathway to a sustainable future
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union… do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
— Preamble of the U.S. Constitution
The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly outline the purpose of corporations, but its opening clause makes it clear: We the People are responsible for defining the values and standards that govern our society.
Today’s reality is far from that directive, however, with the power structures of profit dominating the economic and political landscape. In this unfortunate reality, the leading maker and marketer of cigarettes can proclaim itself as “moving beyond smoking,” even receive an "A" on an ESG rating, while profiting from fatal products that are addicting and diseasing millions of Americans. Similarly, a leading social media corporation can claim to “bring the world closer together,” even as its platform drives division for billions of people, and fossil fuel companies can tout sustainability while remaining among the most significant contributors to climate breakdown. 17
Such contradictions hamper the public’s ability to clearly and practically address their leading causes of suffering and threats concerning their future well-being. Instead of educating our civil population about solving systemic issues, much of the corporate media spectrum has captured people into convenient information and ideological bubbles that outsource blame to the other side.
Our commitment at the Corporate Purpose Project is to raise civil consciousness above these subversive power structures and empower civic participation in addressing our systemic challenges. This is not just about raising the bar for corporate integrity—it’s about reclaiming our collective powers and responsibilities as We the People to foster a more sustainable future.
Our next chapter
"This… is the most certain and the most legitimate engine of government. Educate and inform the whole mass of the people, enable them to see that it is their interest to preserve peace and order, and they will preserve it, and it requires no very high degree of education to convince them of this. They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."
-Thomas Jefferson
As we summarize our next chapter, we are focused on three core areas for continued development and fundraising:
Continued Research and Thought Leadership
Educational Programming and Civic Participation
Fostering Regenerative Economies in Local and Bioregional Communities
We’re eager to move this vision forward and need your support to make it a reality.
For subscribers
We invite you to contribute as a paid subscriber to indicate your support of continued research and this effort. Each of our Substack publications also includes a like button at the bottom, which helps bring visibility and support to this platform.
For society at large
As a fiscally sponsored project of the Sustainable Futures Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Corporate Purpose Project is positioned to accept tax-deductible donations.
To pursue our immediate goals, we need to raise $50,000 from seed donors and foundations committed to advancing a sustainable future rooted in the foundational principles of our Constitution.
Every act of support—no matter how small—contributes to the momentum we need to realize the potential of this platform.
Published October 31, 2024; last updated November 1, 2024 (v1.01 - copy edit to footnote)
Our first publication overcomes the misconceptions that capitalism and socialism are oppositional economic systems. While recent history has been defined by ideological warfare between the powers of big business and big government, this paradigm has degraded Americans’ capacities to serve the responsibilities of democratic self-governance under the Constitution (“We the People”).
Our second publication reframes economics as a balance of maximizing human and social progress with ecological sustainability. Our fifth publication adds to this framing by introducing the regenerative paradigm, which seeks to harmonize economic and social development with environmental recovery.
Our third publication introduces the manipulations of corporate power in our political system. Our fourth publication follows with how the obligations of shareholder profit maximization have generated the leading causes of death and disease, social costs and division, and ecological harm that we face today.
Our sixth publication introduces the framing of the metacrisis, which brings together the converging human, social, and ecological challenges that threaten the underlying sources of stability and sustainability for our modern civilizations.
Our seventh publication is a case study on the rapid emergence of psychedelics and entheogenic plant medicines into modern society. It elaborates on ethical concerns and offers a spectrum of alternative solutions centered in well-being and sustainability.
Corporate power in American democracy
The following are the ways that corporate power intervenes in American democracy:
Political contributions and campaign financing
Corporations wield immense influence over elections through Political Action Committees (PACs) and Super PACs. The landmark Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC (2010) opened the floodgates for unlimited independent political spending by corporations and other entities, which they argue is a form of free speech, as first established in Buckley v. Valeo (1976). This level of financial influence distorts democracy by giving corporations outsized power in shaping political outcomes and policies.Dark money
Nonprofits such as 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations, 501(c)(5) labor unions, and 501(c)(6) trade associations are allowed to engage in political activities without disclosing their funding sources. This practice, known as “dark money,” reduces transparency in political financing and makes it difficult for the public to see who is influencing elections and legislation. The DISCLOSE Act, which would increase transparency by requiring these organizations to reveal their donors, has repeatedly failed to pass, further entrenching corporate influence behind a veil of secrecy.Lobbying
Corporations spend billions on lobbying to influence legislation and regulations. Lobbyists frequently maintain close relationships with lawmakers, often drafting legislation themselves. The result is policy-making that favors corporate interests in areas such as environmental regulation, tax law, and healthcare, often at the expense of public welfare and environmental protection. This also leads to weakened regulations that allow corporations to evade accountability.Regulatory capture
In many cases, regulatory agencies intended to oversee industries are "captured" by those same industries, weakening oversight and enforcement. This phenomenon, known as regulatory capture, results in corporate interests shaping public policy to prioritize profits over public health, environmental sustainability, and consumer protections.Monopoly and market concentration
As corporations dominate industries, their market power extends beyond the economy into political processes. Through monopolies or near-monopolistic control, they can set industry standards, manipulate supply chains, and lobby for trade policies that further entrench their power. This consolidation makes it harder for smaller competitors and alternative systems to emerge, stifling innovation and fair competition.Corporate news networks and social media algorithms
The rise of 24-hour corporate news networks and algorithm-driven social media platforms has created a media environment reinforcing corporate-friendly ideologies. By amplifying content aligning with corporate interests and political biases, these platforms contribute to polarization and often prevent meaningful public discourse on issues like climate change, corporate accountability, and social justice. Rather than tackling problems at their source, corporate news networks can outsource blame to cultural lightning rods.Public relations and advertising campaigns
Corporations invest heavily in public relations campaigns and advertising to shape public opinion and mitigate reputational risks. Through sponsored content, media campaigns, and social media engagement, they influence public perceptions on key issues, often promoting their interests as aligned with the public good, even when their practices suggest otherwise.Trade associations
Corporations often pool their resources through trade associations, which act as powerful intermediaries, lobbying for favorable legislation, regulations, and trade policies for entire industries. These associations give corporations collective influence while shielding individual companies from scrutiny, further consolidating corporate power.International trade agreements
Corporations often lobby for trade agreements, prioritizing their profit motives, sometimes at the expense of labor rights, environmental protections, and local economies. Trade deals like NAFTA (now USMCA) have been criticized for benefiting multinational corporations while harming small businesses, workers, and communities, often displacing jobs and exacerbating economic inequality.Privatization of public services
Corporations push for privatizing essential public services such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure, claiming that the private sector can deliver these services more efficiently. However, privatization often results in reduced public accountability, higher costs, and diminished access to services for marginalized populations, reinforcing inequality while generating profits for corporations.Corporate philanthropy tied to influence
Corporations enhance their public image through large donations to cultural institutions, educational programs, and community initiatives. While presented as philanthropic, these donations often come with strings attached, influencing research agendas, public discourse, and policy decisions. This allows corporations to appear socially responsible while subtly exerting control over community priorities and public narratives.Patent and intellectual property laws
Corporations frequently lobby for stronger patent protections and intellectual property laws, allowing them to maintain monopolies over technologies, pharmaceuticals, and other innovations. This stifles competition and limits access to essential goods, such as life-saving medications, especially in developing countries. By controlling these markets, corporations further entrench their power while hindering global efforts to address public health crises.Research funding
Corporations frequently fund think tanks, research institutions, and universities to produce studies and reports that support their positions. This tactic gives corporate-backed research an air of legitimacy, as the expertise of academic institutions is leveraged to influence public policy. These experts are also sponsored to provide favorable analysis and testify before legislative bodies, further tilting policymaking in corporate interests.Revolving door practices
The “revolving door” refers to corporations hiring former government officials and legislators who bring insider knowledge and connections to advance corporate goals. Although the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 sought to mitigate conflicts of interest, lucrative job offers for former officials create incentives for favorable policies and reduce government accountability.Astroturfing
Corporations often create or fund advocacy organizations that appear to be grassroots movements, a practice known as astroturfing. These groups create the illusion of broad public support for corporate-friendly policies, skewing public perception and misleading policymakers into thinking that their decisions align with popular opinion.Corporate social responsibility (CSR)
Many corporations engage in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, positioning themselves as champions of community engagement and philanthropy. While CSR projects often benefit local communities, they also serve as a strategic tool for corporations to enhance their public image and mitigate regulatory scrutiny, all while continuing practices that may harm the environment or exploit labor.Litigation and legal action
Corporations use strategic lawsuits and the filing of amicus briefs to challenge regulations and influence court decisions. By leveraging legal action, they can delay or overturn regulations that impede their profit motives, further entrenching their power within the legal system.Tax policy and offshore accounts
Corporations often lobby for favorable tax policies, including tax breaks, loopholes, and the ability to store profits in offshore accounts. These practices reduce their tax burden, undermining the funding of public services and increasing the tax burden on smaller businesses and individuals. By avoiding their fair share of taxes, corporations contribute to growing inequality and budget deficits that harm public services.
The Spanish Conquests in the 16th century brought back enormous wealth and expanded the power of the Spanish empire. The English response was the joint-stock corporation, a legal innovation that formed the East India Company in 1600 and the Virginia Company in 1606.
The Massachusetts Bay Company was another prominent shareholder corporation of that period, shaping the development of the American colonies and the circumstances that led to the American Revolution.
Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Health Topic - Tobacco (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Shrestha, Sundar S. et al. Cost of Cigarette Smoking‒Attributable Productivity Losses, U.S., 2018. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 63, Issue 4, 478 - 485
This case example highlights the Altria Group, previously known as the Phillip Morris Companies. On the company’s website, there are many variations of the message that the company stands for “moving beyond smoking” and becoming a “tobacco harm reduction company.” These statements project progressive values upon a company that remains committed to marketing and selling addictive cigarettes. Despite these mass illness and casualty rates caused by the company’s core products, the ratings firm MSCI scores Altria Group with an “A” on the highly influential ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) scale. A screenshot of that rating is below, taken on August 1, 2024 via the Charles Schwab platform:
Record Low in U.S. Satisfied With Way Democracy Is Working (Gallup, 5 Jan 2024)
Voters Are Deeply Skeptical About the Health of American Democracy (New York Times, 27 October 2024)
Among younger people, there are also rising epidemics of mass disillusionment and technologically-driven withdrawal.
Why is corporate purpose our coalescing theme?
American shareholder corporations are today's most powerful economic entities in the United States and the world. The largest 500 shareholder corporations in the United States have a combined financial valuation of around $46 trillion, far exceeding the total annual production value of the entire United States economy at around $28 trillion. Numerous individual corporations also have market values that drastically exceed the gross domestic product of other leading economies worldwide. For example, the $3.1 trillion valuation of Microsoft Corporation is nearing the annual GDP of the United Kingdom, the sixth-largest economy in the world, at 3.34 trillion (World Bank)
The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly guide corporate rights and powers. Instead, the powers of modern corporations have been accumulated throughout American history through interpretations by the Supreme Court, legislative actions at both the national and state levels, and in the marketplace by overpowering other business modes.
Regarding the nation's democracy, shareholder corporations also dominate the news media, campaign financing, and political lobbying. As a result, corporate business interests have effectively crowded out the democratic participation of American citizens to solve their everyday economic struggles and broader systemic concerns. With Americans polling at record-low satisfaction rates with their democracy, our research points to these dynamics undermining the foundations of a vibrant and effective participatory democracy.
Other notable contributions to the study of ecological economics were released in 1973 by E.F. Schumacher and Herman Daly, but the predominant schools of economics would stick with the growth agenda for decades to come.
Schumacher, E. F. Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics As If People Mattered. London: Blond & Briggs, 1973.
Daly, Herman E., ed. Toward a Steady-State Economy. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman, 1973.
Our 2021 publication introduces this model by developing additional intuitive connections between the planetary sciences and designing for a sustainable economy.
Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System (Donella Meadows Project, Academy for Systems Change)
The phrase We the Corporations is inspired by Adam Winkler’s book, We the Corporations: How American Businesses Won Their Civil Rights (2018). Winkler chronicles the legal history that enabled corporations to claim rights initially intended for individuals, transforming their influence on American democracy and shifting power dynamics toward corporate interests at the expense of citizen governance.
Structure of Roots Cooperative
Roots Cooperative is a limited cooperative association (LCA). Our organizations are partnered to combine the research and programming capacities of Corporate Purpose Project with the technological abilities and operating capacities of this platform cooperative.
Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act Overview (Investopedia)
Structure of Fabric Hospitality business model
Fabric Hospitality is a for-profit corporation founded by Ron Ayers, who contracted Roots Cooperative to conduct early stage development of this innovative model.
Structure of Circletrust platform
The Circletrust platform is being developed as a partnership between Roots Cooperative and Holistic Systems Cooperative.
Structure of Dunadyne platform
Dunadyne is housed within Roots Cooperative.
ESG Rating for Altria Group from MSCI:
Great job Mike! Appreciating the historic context and rhetoric examples you shared above. Excited to see this fully funded! 🙌🏽