Call for contributions – First INDEP conference: Democratic Economic Planning for the Real World

In the face of capitalism’s striking failure to confront the contemporary challenges raised by the poly-crisis of war, ecological collapse and rising inequalities, democratic economic planning (DEP) has recently gained increasing attention, both from the academic world and from social change practitioners (rank-and-file, militants, organizers, and leaders of unions and social movements, members of political parties and NGOs, members of prefigurative initiatives, etc.). It presents itself as an alternative economic system based on socialization and deliberation, aiming to overcome both capitalism and the limits of Soviet-style managerial planning. Although directly tied to political imaginaries, it focuses on economic questions regarding the organization of production, allocation, distribution, and coordination in a way that ensures collective subsistence within planetary boundaries. Proponents of DEP suggest that organizing our economies on the principles of self-management at the local scale and collective decision-making at higher scales is the most promising proposal for ensuring sustainability and social justice.

This SASE mini-conference (MC12) aims to bring together a new generation of researchers and practitioners interested in democratic economic planning from a postcapitalist perspective. It is the first conference organized by the International Network for Democratic Economic Planning (INDEP), a network launched in July 2024, bringing together more than 200 members from more than 15 countries under a unified web of knowledge exchange and collaboration. The two-day mini-conference will be part of the SASE Network I: Alternatives to Capitalism and will be held during the SASE conference in Montréal, Québec, Canada from July 9 to 12.

This mini-conference will be themed “Democratic Economic Planning for the Real World.” Theoretical models of democratic economic planning (DEP) are often criticized on the basis that they seem abstract and removed from our day-to-day lives. This criticism is partly valid, but it often neglects the work done by activists worldwide who build spaces and projects where postcapitalist structures and practices are of central importance. Therefore, we wish to bring researchers and practitioners together to build a robust dialogue that enlightens and enriches everyone in this burgeoning space.

We are interested in receiving proposals about postcapitalist models, visions, and experiences. Proposals could be tailored to the following themes, but these are not mandatory. Every proposal related to economic planning and postcapitalist political economy will be considered.

  • DEP on the ground: Experiences and tactics in building transformative pathways towards postcapitalism through struggles in the here and now
  • Mapping and Strategizing the DEP ecosystem: What kinds of actors are out there? How do we enable and amplify the exchange of knowledge and resources? What are our next steps?
  • From the workplace to the global economy: at what scales do we think about DEP and how do they interrelate?
  • How can DEP help us see and meet environmental constraints?
  • The technological backbone of DEP: software and hardware and their role in shaping postcapitalist information systems, infrastructure, and institutions
  • Daily life and social reproduction in a democratically planned society
  • How models of postcapitalism shape different visions of DEP
  • From industrial logistics and integrated cloud infrastructures to worker-coops and libraries: what opportunities and risks are there for DEP from recent technological and organizational developments?
  • Aesthetic representations of DEP: what strategic role do they play in popularizing visions of postcapitalism?
  • How can DEP actively fight systems of oppression (colonialism, race, gender, class, etc.)?
  • Rethinking notions of money, markets, ownership, work, and labor in postcapitalist systems
  • The role of political systems: what political forms are necessary for a democratic postcapitalism? What role should the State play in such systems?

Scholars, practitioners, and researchers outside the university should submit their approximately 1000-word abstracts through the SASE submission webpage before December 16th, 2024.

The prospect and details of online participation are uncertain at this point. If you intend to present virtually, please include this in your submission.

Funding

This mini-conference has been the subject of a Connection grant application to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Some presenters may be reimbursed for their participation, travel and accommodation expenses if this grant is awarded. The grant has not yet been attributed; hence, this possibility should not be taken for granted. Funding will be awarded in the following order of priority:

Graduate students or practitioners;

Post-docs;

Professors without financial support from their institution;

Professors with financial support from their institution.