Tag Archives: polanyi

Expert Workshop on Democratic Economic Planning: Recordings online!

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On November 29-30, we co-organised an expert workshop on Democratic Economic Planning in Times of Planetary Crises in Vienna, bringing together researchers from diverse disciplines, including political economy, ecological economics, and economic sociology. Over two days, we engaged in intensive discussions on the role of democratic planning in socio-ecological transformation, investment strategies, and technological change.

A highlight of the workshop were the three public events, which sparked significant interest both in person and online. The keynote speeches by Cédric Durand (University of Geneva) on Ecological Planning and the Problem of Knowledge in the Anthropocene and Karl Polanyi visiting professor Attila Melegh (University of Budapest) on Non-Capitalist Mixed Economies: A Polanyian Approach drew large audiences and generated lively discussions. 

The closing panel discussion, featuring Cédric Durand, Aaron Benanav, Cecilia Rikap, Christoph Sorg, and moderated by Jens Schröter, provided a thought-provoking synthesis of the debates, addressing the challenges of planning social metabolism and technological change.

The workshop included four thematic sessions (view program here) and fostered valuable exchanges between researchers, students, and representatives from civil society and public institutions. A key outcome is the planned publication of an edited volume based on the workshop contributions.

A big thank you to all participants and our cooperation partners, the Arbeiterkammer Wien, the ISSET Institute at Vienna University of Economics and Business, the Forum Alltagsökonomie and the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy (EAEPE) for making this workshop a success!

We are pleased to announce that the recordings of the three public events are now available online. You can watch them below:

Call for Papers – International Karl Polanyi Society (IKPS) Conference 2019

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Conference 2019 in Budapest and Vienna co-organized by
International Karl Polanyi Society (IKPS) &
Karl Polanyi Research Center for Global Social Studies
Karl Polanyi and the Future of Humankind
2 May 2019 in Budapest, Hungary

Conference day with invited speakers

Karl Polanyi was not only a harsh critic of existing global capitalism and its historic development; he was also concerned with how humankind shapes its own destiny. The first part of the conference seeks to understand what possible futures can be envisioned in the current circumstances and dynamics of global capitalism after a long period of neoliberal hegemony.

 

Universal Capitalism in Decline?
3-5 May 2019 in Vienna, Austria

Conference with call for papers

Call for Papers
In 1945 Karl Polanyi published “Universal Capitalism or Regional Planning” , using the term “universal capitalism” to describe the political-economic system that had led to the Great Depression of the 1930s and World War II. The conference refers to this motive to analyze contemporary societal change, to share perspectives from around the globe and to reflect on methodological questions. These three broad concerns will be at the center International Karl Polanyi Society (IKPS) conference 2019.

A) Globalization, financialization, liberalization and the countermovement
“Universal capitalism” describes a series of processes familiar to us today. Neoliberal globalization, financialization and commodification universalize the market society and increase socio-cultural tensions. These globalizing dynamics have resulted in diverse anti- globalization movements, but might even have nurtured the spread of authoritarian regimes. The respective imaginaries of these movements against neoliberal globalization range from nostalgia of a lost past to visions of a commonwealth based on solidarity and equality. Karl Polanyi’s oeuvre provides us with a unique analytical framework, concepts and ideas to study these processes, crises, and transformations. Current movements should be examined from different perspectives, including:

  • Disentangling the relationship between free trade and finance on the one hand, national sovereignty and democracy on the other hand
  • Global ecological and social challenges and regional resilience strategies
  • National sovereignty, illiberal democracies and European solidarity
  • Western universalism, the rise of Asia and a new world (dis-)order
  • Trade wars, new forms of protectionism and the challenges for neoliberal globalization
  • Civil society initiatives, labor and social movements facing neoliberal globalization and political change

B) Bringing together Polanyi-inspired research from different regions and countries
Karl Polanyi has become an indispensable point of reference in critical discussions on contemporary transformations. However, scholars in different countries and regions emphasize different aspects of his work. We invite papers that focus on how Polanyi’s analyses of universal capitalism and its transformations are discussed in different parts of the world.

C) Commodification, double movement and embeddedness – concepts to understand the 21st century capitalism?
”Working with Polanyi today” means reflecting, thinking and acting under the conditions of fragmented, increasingly international academic communities in a neoliberal, more and more authoritarian environment. Polanyi, however, has always gone beyond academia, making his living as a journalist, teaching at public universities and contributing to public debates. The question of how social science can contribute to the elaboration of a democratic narrative for the ordinary people occupied Polanyi throughout his life. Therefore, we explicitly invite papers that dwell on the relation between the scientific and the ethical approach as well as possible academic contributions to public debates. Of special interest are conceptual clarifications and experimentation with new forms of partnerships between civil society, social movements and academia.

Conference language: English.

Submission of Abstracts
Abstracts should not exceed a maximum of 400 words, including the author’s full name, the title of the presentation, a maximum of 4 keywords, the author’s affiliation, full address and e- mail. Please send your abstract with all the necessary information to the address: ikps@wu.ac.at, with in the subject line “Abstract Conference 2019”.

Deadline for submitting abstracts: 31 December 2018
Notification of acceptance: 31 January 2019
Presentations of the papers will be held in Vienna.

Download the Call for Papers HERE

Venues
Budapest: Corvinus University of Budapest
Vienna: Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE)
The organizers will arrange transportation between Budapest and Vienna for those interested.

Organizers and hosts of the conference
International Karl Polanyi Society: www.karlpolanyisociety.com
Karl Polanyi Research Center for Global Social Studies: www.karlpolanyicenter.org