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THE UNITY OF THE DIVERSITY:

1. Hypothesis of Equilibrium

In an autonomic system, which is an ongoing social process leading to the establishment of a new Political Subject, there has to be a status of equilibrium between the political-legal dimesnion, the cultural-intercultural dimension and the ecological-economic dimension.

If an autonomic system dispenses with one of these dimensions (f.ex. as a result of the overdimension of another), there is an hazard, that external actors (the nation-state, bargain hunters, transnational companies etc.) enter the system, revolve it from inside and finally may destroy it.

Research Correlation: Political Autonomy - Culture – Economic Development

Short Formula: Sustainability = Politics AND Culture AND Economy

 

2. Network - Hypothesis:

The sustainability of an autonomic system depends on its capacity to establish interactive horizontal links between its local communities and the regional structures.  Within a process of integration having its seeds on the basis, political-economical structures have to be created, involving all or part of the respective societal forces in the relevant decision-making processes, which are to be communicated inside the multicultural autonomic system but also to the “outside” in order to generate a project of an alternative society.

This hypothesis is targeting at the very contrary of any ethnocentristic localism as well as of hierarchical representation structures, which impede the development and implementation of participatival mechanisms in the politics of decision-making processes.

Research Correlation: Politics - Culture (Participative Democracy*)

(*Expl.: involving all or part of the societal forces in the decision-making process)

Short Formula: Network of Local Communities = Regional Structure

 

3. Hypothesis of Political Economy:

The autonomic process is characterized by a permanent interdependancy of the political dimension  and the economic dimension. Economic sustainability has to based on a common culture which is vinculating the collective memory of the past with projection and attentiveness to the future generations.

This solidly united comprehension of economy is putting private property into a different perspective and is rejecting competitiveness as driving force of economy. It is also directed against any political order which is based on particular, individual economic interests.

The research teams of LATAUTONOMY after a common exhaustive analysis process have come to a categorical conclusion: "The more the influence of the so-called “Free Market”, the less the sustainability of the Autonomic Zones”.

Research Correlation: Economy - Politics

Short Formula: Economy = Politics AND Culture/Interculturality

 

4. Hypothesis of Cultural Cohesion:

The higher the scale of cultural identity of the community, the more also the effectiveness of the autonomic system.  In this sense the religious-spiritual manifestations but also the integration of intercultural education and formation services show a central value for the consolidation of an autonomic process.  

Research Correlation: Culture - Politics

Short Formula: THE MORE Culture / Interculturality = THE MORE Political Autonomy

 

5. Hypothesis of Interculturality:

The more the scale of multi- or interculturality, the more the capacity of the autonomic subject to foster itself as pluriethnical force in order to establish a political-juridical Autonomy by means of negotiation with the nation-state.  An existing vital intercultural dialogue inside the community forms the essential basis and necessary pre-condition for a political dialogue, which is directed to lead finally to the legal recognition of the Autonomy by the nation-state.  

Research Correlation: Interculturality - Politics

Short Formula: THE MORE Interculturality = THE MORE Legal Recognition

 

6. Hypothesis of Cultural Ecology:

Also the ecological sustainability depends to a high extent on the scale of multi- and interculturality of an autonomic system. There is the hazard of unilateral focus on own political and cultural dimensions leading then to a kind of ethnocentrism, which may cause the destruction of the ecosystem generated by an economic lopsidedness. This already happened in the colonial and post-colonial era, when mono-cultural farming systems were established and which is observed also today as consequence of the unilateralism of the commercial monetarism and the neo-liberal market system.

In order to formulate this observation the other way round: In the long run life can only be protected, if the social disparities and cultural rivalries may be significantly reduced by the establishment of an intercultural dialogue, because they do carry the relevant risk to lead to a „clash of civilizations“.

Research Correlation: Ecological Sustainability – Intercultural Economy

Short Formula: Ecological Sustainability = Economy AND Interculturality

 

7. Hypothesis of Territoriality:

The more the accordant territory is controlled by the autonomic subject, the less the risk of a massive destruction of the natural resources and consequently the more the sustainability of the respective ecosystem.  
The most important factors leading to the acquisition of the accordant territory by the autonomic subject are:  

  • Specific knowledge, information and skills concerning the sustainable handling of the natural resources („local knowledge“)
  • Social cohesion based on a culturally defined common good („local capital“) and
  • Politics of Autonomy based on the involvement of all or part of the societal forces in the relevant decision-making processes

 Research Correlation: Territoriality –Autonomy

Short Formula: Territoriality = Political Autonomy AND Culture

 

8. Hypothesis of Governance:

The more the efficiency of conflict solution mechanisms applying customary law, the more sustainable politics of a given autonomic system.

 

Or to formulate this observation in a different way:

The more influence of the nation-state system, the less sustainable the politics and economy and the more fragile the autonomy.

Research Correlation: Conflict Solution - Political Autonomy.

Short Formula: Democratic Governance = Conflict Solution on the Local and Regional Level.

 

9. Hypothesis of Ecological Economy:

The more disposability of the local resources to the forces of the free market (at the expense of political decision processes based on local knowledge), the less the sustainability of the natural resources.  

 

If the “free market” is the only mechanism to define the conduction, this market will never (or only much too late) offer the necessary conditions, as a result of its exhaustive cererity, to react on phenomena of degradation, endangering the sustainable use of the existent natural resources in the long run, or to take cognizance of long-term development goals on the local and regional level.   

Research Correlation: Economy -Ecology

Short Formula: Economy AND Ecology = Politics AND Culture

 

10. Hypothesis of Instability:

Although Multicultural Autonomy is not offering a cast iron proof guarantee for a sustainable development, it is to affirmed that (in observation of the recent rejection of autonomic structures in many regions of the world) the nation-sate and the neo-liberal economic system necessarily bring forth to the instability of the political systems and to the definitive loss of any possibility for a sustainable development.

Research Correlation: Autonomy - Neoliberal Nation-State

Short Formula: THE LESS Autonomy = THE LESS Sustainability