Corrosiveness at a Glance. A self-assessment method.
This short tool is designed to help commons and third places reflect on their transformative potential. Rather than measuring performance, it asks a more radical question: Are we changing the system, or helping it adapt?
By introducing the concept of corrosiveness, the authors invite collectives to assess whether their actions challenge the roots of inequality and exclusion—or risk reinforcing them. It’s a self-assessment method, but also a call to reflect, adjust, and reposition.
Corrosiveness is the ability of a practice or space to undermine the systems that generate problems, not just treat the symptoms. It shifts the focus from doing good to questioning how and why things are done.
This kind of impact is not always visible. It works slowly, through daily actions, alliances, and small ruptures that open new paths.
The authors distinguish between:
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Type 1 change, which solves problems without altering their causes
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Type 2 change, which challenges the structures that create those problems
Corrosive initiatives combine both: they meet real needs while redefining the rules that shape those needs in the first place.
When commons take on roles that institutions fail to fulfil, they risk becoming service providers for the system, rather than agents of change.
To remain corrosive, they must stay aware of this risk and keep asking: Who benefits from what we’re doing—and why?
A commons is corrosive when it embodies today the world it wants to see tomorrow. This includes collective governance, mutual care, and autonomy.
Prefiguration isn’t about slogans—it’s about practice: creating space for different ways of living and working, here and now.
Groups can assess their own corrosiveness using four dimensions:
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Type 2 change
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Double action (on needs and causes)
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Awareness of co-optation
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Prefigurative power
Each dimension is scored (0–6), discussed collectively, and revisited regularly. The goal is not perfection—it’s shared learning and direction.
This framework doesn’t offer answers. It opens space for critical reflection, helping groups stay aligned with their values and ambitions.
Corrosiveness is not a label—it’s a practice of staying politically awake.
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