The OVN wiki describes the economy of the 4th sector.

NEW: REVISION EFFORT

ATTENTION: We are going through another systematic revision cycle of the OVN model. See more on OVN 3.0 page..

Definition

Open Value Network (OVN) refers to a new organizational framework designed to support commons-based peer production. This organization is by nature and from birth transnational (i.e. operating beyond the influence of states).

It is the network that is open, in the sense of permisisonless or unrestricted access to participation (to processes).

OVNs rely on technology (digital infrastructures) to support their operations. They strive for no (or very few) formal mechanisms of power or central control over their infrastructure, although it is evident that they exhibit informal power structures. Examples are Bitcoin, Ethereum, Sensorica, etc.

More on What is an open value network?

Background

The model was first proposed, developed and implemented by Sensorica affiliates to support material commons-based peer production (the production of material things by open networks). Sensorica was created in February 2011 - see the 2013 TEDx video presentation by Tibi.

Initially, the model evolved from the Discovery Network model proposed by Tibi between 2008 and 2010. Between 2011 and 2012, the model was developed in collaboration by Tibi, Steve, Kurt, Bayle and others, and drew from the work of Verna Allee, Yochai Benkler, Michel Bauwens, Clay Shirky, and others. After the summer of 2012, the network resource planning and contribution accounting system (NRP-CAS) was influenced by Bob Haugen who has been working in this area since 1995.

From May 2013 to May 2014, Yasir worked on a framework for open value network in collaboration with other Sensorica affiliates. The OVN model was extended to network of networks, in the context of the Open Alliance initiative also lead by Sensorica, an attempt to federate open organizations in Montreal. In 2016 the NOICE/Verdun project built on the Open Alliance initiative, as a second attempt to bring the OVN model at a larger scale. The concept of 4th Sector was also introduced during 2016.

See more on OVN history.

Other organizations have adopted a model similar to Sensorica

It should be noted that the OVN work will input directly into international ISO standards development, namely, ISO/IEC 15944-15 "Information technology - Business Operational View - Part 15: Ope Value Networks(OVN): Integrated perspective on Open-edi, eBusiness, blockchain and distributed transactions". The lead international ISO Project Editor : Prof. William McCarthy, with Jake Knoppers as one of two Co-Project Editors. The international ISO standards committee responsible here is ISO/IEC JTC1/SC32/WG1 (where JTC1 = Joint ISO, IEC = Technical Committee on Information technology, SC = Data Management & Interchange, WG1 = eBusiness)