Social Contract For A New Generation

Social Contract: An implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits.

Social contract theory posits that individuals coexist within a framework of agreements governing moral, social, economic, and political conduct. Organizations—both civic and private—express their commitment to this social contract through mission statements, value declarations, bylaws, and ordinances.

While the concept is often taught to children via the golden rule (“treat others as you’d like to be treated”), larger entities—such as industries, corporations, and governments—too often fail to recognize their essential role in this contract. They, too, must contribute to creating a livable and equitable world.

In essence, both public and private sectors share significant responsibility for shaping our collective reality. There is a lot of space between “losing money” and “maximum profit”; between “safe and affordable housing” and “maximum profit”; between “superfund sites” and “maximum profit”.

The Social Contract: People, Planet, Profit

People, planet, and profit” isn’t just a buzz-phrase—these three words represent balance among the primary elements of the social contract: people and their pursuit of happiness; environmental health; and a sustainable, resilient economy.

To sustain a resilient economy, adherence to these values must be any organization’s core duty.

Upholding the social contract means considering all three. Without people and a healthy planet, profit alone is unsustainable.

(Photo Credit: Zac Borja)

Violating the Social Contract: Short Term Gains vs. Long Term Impacts

Historically, humanity grapples with systemic problems. Governments and corporations often chase quick, cheap fixes, sidelining long-term impact.

Consider homeless encampments: Sweeps address symptoms but ignore causes. Local “housed” residents may voice reasonable concerns about safety and unsanitary conditions, but fail to examine the long term effectiveness and impacts of those sweeps on the people whose camps are being dismantled. It just kicks the proverbial can down a road paved with cruelty.

Sweeps, and the band-aids these actions represent, won’t fix the lack of affordable, safe housing. Reconstructive surgery on the profit dynamics of housing must lead the way, seeking balance between people, planet and profit. Balanced, transparent outcomes build trust in addressing housing, climate change, global economic shifts.

(Photo credit: Elizabeth Garcia)

Developing Trust: Community Engagement

Systemic fixes aren’t one-size-fits-all; they must adapt to each community. Community transformation thrives on connecting diverse stakeholders to listen, learn and collaboratively solve problems.  The reality is that these things take time. It’s resource-intensive, without guarantee of success. We believe the success of these initiatives hinges on ecosystem-wide transparency that builds community trust.

In the face of increasing global shifts, we believe it is a violation of the social contract to be unwilling to take people-first risks because of fear of “lost profits”. When profit or economic growth takes precedence, people and planet suffer.

WeAccel’s Belief:

We believe in a different approach. We believe that in order to fix what’s broken, the change has to start at the hyper-local level. It begins with the people that the ordinance, the product, the platform is intended to serve. We believe that change without community - or customer - support dooms the project to failure. Sustainable communities thrive when profits and economics align with the Social Contract.

"Nothing has given me more hope recently than to observe how simple conversations give birth to actions that can change lives and restore our faith in the future. There is no more powerful way to initiate significant social change than to start a conversation. When a group of people discover that they share a common concern, that's when the process of change begins." – Margaret J. Wheatley, Turning to One Another

We don’t know what each community will choose, what problems will be prioritized, and what technology they may choose to help them solve these problems. What we do know is that it is possible to make massive progress preparing our communities, and future generations, for the future that we cannot yet see. Guiding the evolution of sustainable communities includes the resiliency of profits and the economy - our commitment to the Social Contract.

While we can’t predict each community’s choices or priorities, we can make significant progress in preparing for an future that is increasingly unsustainable. Join us on our journey to a resilient future for the human race and the planet we live on.

Welcome to WeAccel. 

Cheers,

Anna Acosta, Chief Operating Officer

Next week: The Social Contract Saga: A Tale of Centuries and Revolution