"Since 2009, the relationship between a sustainable economy, the rights of workers, and the purpose of democracy has been highlighted on the international stage. Throughout Germany, Greece, Austria, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, France, and England, there have been protests—and riots—that draw attention to the current economic downtown that is affecting Western nations.

While there have been economic protests throughout Europe, the most prominent clashes have occurred, so far, in Greece where the population is responding to the role the International Monetary Fund and other international entities are attempting to play in restructuring the Greek state. Mark Wesibrot, Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, has described the Greek protestors as “better economists than European authorities.”

The protests have been overwhelmingly populist in tone. In fact, one can even recognize a do-it-yourself (DIY) ethos in the responses. While this ethos is associated more with music and other art forms, DIY is fundamentally a cultural activity in which ordinary people take it upon themselves to learn and do more for themselves and their communities with less reliance on experts and ready-made expertise. DIY serves the individual, while being grounded in the community. A few threads of the DIY economic response are beginning to show in the United States, as seen with the recent unveiling of Kiva’s New Orleans project."

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Julia Good Fox: From Athens to Madison: DIY Responses to a Global Economic Recession (Indian Country Today 10/16)