X — Autonomous collectives
Chapitre X
AUTONOMOUS COLLECTIVES
Libertarian Libertarianism rests on a safety net of a new kind: Autonomous Collectives (AC). These are neither shelters, nor job integration companies, nor social hotels. They are communities of work and life, self-funded, diverse, and open to all.
10.1 — The Starting Observation
In society, there are people who cannot manage on their own—by nature, education, or following trauma. Some have enough energy to live, but not enough to escape a difficult situation. They need a framework, a collective, support—not a check.
The current system offers them either welfare dependency (which keeps them dependent), or abandonment (which leaves them on the street). Autonomous Collectives propose a third way: integration into a productive community.
10.2 — General Operation
An AC is a structure where one lives, works, and shares the fruits of collective labor. The fundamental principles:
Self-funding: each AC must balance its books through the work of its members and its production. No permanent subsidy.
Mandatory work: every member contributes according to their abilities. The AC is not a hotel.
Income withholding: members who have external employment see part of their salary withheld to fund collective life.
Personal savings: each member’s surplus is accumulated in a personal account, according to the structure’s rules and/or their own will.
Freedom of exit: one can leave whenever one wants (except if debt is outstanding). One recovers their savings.
10.3 — The Diversity of Models
ACs are not monolithic. They vary along several axes:
Level of supervision: from highly structured (you’re told what to do) to fully self-managed (collective decisions).
Type of governance: hierarchical, democratic, consensus, or mixed.
Location: urban, rural, mixed.
Specialization: agriculture, crafts, services, technology, mixed.
Internal rules: strict or flexible, locked or free savings, vacations allowed or not.
Economic model: pure cooperative, associative, or even entrepreneurial with a founder who takes a margin.
This diversity allows everyone to find the formula that suits them. There is no single model imposed.
10.4 — Ownership Models
ACs can adopt different ownership and governance models:
Pure cooperative: everything is collective, shared decisions, no extracted profit.
Volunteer-led: a leader organizes, without taking personal profit.
Associative: non-profit structure, surpluses reinvested.
Entrepreneurial: a founder/owner who took the initial risk and takes a margin.
Mixed: cooperative shares + investor shares.
All these models can coexist. The only requirement: transparency about rules at entry. Who owns what, who decides what, who takes what. No surprises.
If members find a model unfair, they can leave and create their own AC. Freedom of exit regulates everything.
10.5 — The Structured → Self-Managed Gradient
A completely lost person can enter a highly structured AC: they’re told what to do, when, how. The external framework frees up cognitive bandwidth. They don’t have to manage themselves, just follow.
As they regain their footing, they can migrate to more self-managed structures, where they will participate in decisions. This is a rehabilitation pathway, not a single box.
Some will stay their whole lives—by choice or necessity. Others will only spend a few months. The system adapts.
10.6 — Member Statuses
ACs welcome different types of members:
Resident: lives on site, eats on site, works on site. Standard income withholding.
Full-time external: lives at home, but spends their days at the AC (meals, work). Reduced withholding (no housing to fund). They work like the others; what’s withheld from their income is simply lower since they don’t lodge on site.
Part-time external: participates a few days per week. Proportional contribution.
Affiliate: stays connected remotely, symbolic contribution, network access.
Transitions between statuses are free and fluid. One can be resident, then external, then resident again. Doors are always open.