Free Private Cities with Peter Young
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SHOW DESCRIPTION
Peter Young is the managing director of the Free Cities Foundation. In this interview, we discuss the development of autonomous administrative areas around the world called ‘free cities’, where new types of governance can be offered to citizens outside the control of existing states.
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Paul Romer, former chief economist at the World Bank and a Nobel prize winner, proposed in 2009 the concept of Charter Cities. Romer was trying to tackle the problem of stagnant investment in the Global South arising from bad governance. The solution was to evolve the idea behind special economic zones and create autonomous city-states within existing countries.
The autonomy would extend to alternate legal and political systems from the host nation, and to the provision of services by private organisations. An advanced guarantor country would protect the legal rights of residents. The idea was that such cities would become trusted centres predicated on good rules, attracting investment, firms and people, the benefits of which then filter beyond the cities' boundaries into the host country.
The Free City Foundation have taken Romer’s idea and sought to implement it in different parts of the world. The aim is to provide citizens with alternatives to the status quo: establishing new legal, financial and municipal relationships with residents. The ideology is to reduce the size of the modern state, which is considered to act in its own self-interest at the expense of society.
There are a number of different scales of initiatives for the Free City Foundation: from intentional communities to prosperity zones, all the way to Free Private Cities. Prospera in Honduras is a working example of a Free City: a new settlement on the island of Roatán is being developed within its own civil law, regulatory agencies and taxation; although it must still adhere to the Honduran constitution, international treaties and criminal law.
But this is only the start: many more examples are being developed across the world. Perhaps the most innovative idea is Seasteading, where independent communities are developed in international waters, outside of the jurisdiction of existing governments. Are these initiatives viable and preferable alternatives to the nation-state? That may be too early to tell, but there is a growing number of investors who think they are the future of civilisation.
TIMESTAMPS
00:01:20: Introductions
00:10:15: Próspera, Honduras
00:17:10: Independent regulatory environment and legal status
00:25:31: The Honduran Government
00:28:24: Residency and fees, and Morazán
00:33:04: Intentional communities
00:35:48: Hurdles to overcome, and incentives for governments
00:41:47: Hong Kong's success and Singapore's downfall
00:49:32: Seasteading
00:54:47: Establishing a new country, and the size of government
01:02:55: Housing and planning regulations
01:14:52: Final comments
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SHOW NOTES
Connect with Peter:
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Liberty in Our Lifetime - Prague, Oct 21st-23rd 2022
Mentioned in the interview:
Why the world needs charter cities - Paul Romer, TED Talks, 2009
The Network State: How To Start a New Country - by Balaji Srinivasan, Jul 4th 2022
History of the Austrian School of Economics - Mises Institute
How Ciudad Morazán Uses Its ZEDE Status to Benefit Hondurans - Free Cities Foundation, Aug 26th 2022
Slow but Steady for Honduras’ New President - Americas Quaterly, Jun 6th 2022
Rosa Aguilar: One Mother Fighting for Her Dreams - Free Cities Foundation, May 13th 2022
Liberty in Our Lifetime: Parallel Structures for Progress - Oct 21st-23rd 2022, Cubex Centre, Prague
Hong Kong v Shenzhen: the battle for supremacy - FT, Jan 2020
The Subtle Authoritarianism of Southeast Asia’s Wealthiest City-State - Literary Hub, Mar 21st 2022
Seasteading – a vanity project for the rich or the future of humanity? - The Guardian, Jun 2020
SeaPods, Waterfront Lifestyle: Experience A Totally New Way Of Living - Ocean Builders
Public social spending as a share of GDP, 1880 to 2016 - Our World in Data, 2016
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