ICEA course at the UNED “Democratic planning. Post-capitalist models in the era of the climate crisis”
April 1 @ 7:00 pm – April 29 @ 8:30 pm UTC+2
This course is taught by the ICEA (Instituto de Ciencias Econónimcas y de la Autogestión).
Course Summary
This course, organized by UNED (National Distance Education University, a public university in Spain specializing in online and distance education), takes a critical and multidisciplinary approach to contemporary socio-economic and ecological challenges, exploring alternative models of economic planning and social organization. Over five sessions, it covers topics such as the climate crisis, democratic planning, the contradictions of cooperatives from a Marxist perspective, and libertarian viewpoints.
The first session (April 1) introduces the distinction between the climate crisis and the planetary crisis, analyzing their global and socio-environmental dimensions with the participation of sociologist Damián Herrera Cuesta. The second session (April 4), led by economist Endika Alabort Amundarain, explores democratic economic planning, contrasting historical models with contemporary proposals adapted to ecological crises.
The third session (April 8) delves into five theoretical models of democratic economic planning, highlighting contributions from authors such as Pat Devine, Robin Hahnel, and Takis Fotopoulos. These models examine how democracy, social justice, and sustainability can be integrated into economic systems, considering scenarios such as the climate crisis and post-capitalism.
In the fourth session (April 25), Jon Las Heras Cuenca presents a Marxist critique of cooperatives, focusing on the organizational paradoxes of the emblematic Mondragón group. The discussion explores how these structures, despite their solidarity-based approach, often reproduce capitalist dynamics such as market competition and labor alienation.
Finally, the fifth session (April 29), led by José Luis Carretero Miramar, examines critical libertarian texts. The course concludes with reflections on emancipatory alternatives to systemic crises, integrating ecological, economic, and political perspectives.
In summary, the program combines critical theory, case studies, and contemporary debates to challenge hegemonic models and propose transformative solutions to global challenges.
Please note:
- This course is conducted in Spanish.
- All sessions will be in the CEST time slot (UTC+2)
Attendance at this activity is possible with attendance in person or online, live or recorded, without the need to go to the centre.
Registration. Deductions or free registration for the different types of enrolment reflected in the registration section must be accredited by means of the required documentation in each case.
Registration will be effective upon receipt of the supporting document at the Secretariat of University Extension of UNED Madrid.
Information on reduced tuition fees.
| Ordinary registration | People with disabilities | School tutors | UNED and UNED SENIOR students | Over 65s | Associate Teaching and Research Staff at the Madrid Centre | Unemployed | |
| Price | 25 € | Free | 15 € | 15 € | Free | Free | Free |
Directed by Juan José Villalón Ogállar. Sociology Professor. UNED.
Speakers
- Endika Alabort Amundarain. Teacher
- José Luis Carretero Miramar. IES School of Hospitality and Tourism
- Damian Herrera Cuesta. Sociology Tutor Professor. UNED Madrid.
- Jon Las Heras Cuenca. Doctoral Contract Professor
Aimed at students, teachers, researchers and the general public
Qualification required: None, although the course is preferably aimed at students and teachers in the fields of economics, political science or sociology
Objectives
To present a list of the main theories contributed from economics, political economy and economic sociology that have emerged in response to the need to access a post-capitalist socio-economic order capable of facing the consequences of the ecological crisis by overcoming the relationships of power and wealth.
Methodology
Theoretical, 10 face-to-face hours.
Open and participatory discussion spaces.
- FACE-TO-FACE MODE: face-to-face sessions at the UNED Madrid Escuelas Pias centre. (The 2nd and 4th sessions will take place online, those registered for the face-to-face mode will be able to follow them live from home or in the assigned classroom at Escuelas Pías).
- ONLINE MODE live(simultaneous): the course is followed through the Zoom platform which broadcasts the sessions taking place at Escuelas Pías.
- ONLINE MODE recorded: students receive the recordings of each of the course sessions within a maximum of seven days from the date of recording.
Prior to the start of the course you will have the instructions and connection details in MY SPACE: https://extension.uned.es/miespacio (option 1: UNED student, option 2: non-UNED student).
Assessment system
Test. Students will take a multiple-choice test to consolidate the knowledge acquired.
Organised by UNED, I n collaboration with Institute of Economic Sciences and Self-Management (ICEA)
More information
UNED Madrid
C/ Tribulete, 14 – 3ª Planta
28012 Madrid Madrid
(34) 91 3246629 / cursos-extension@madrid.uned.es
Place and dates: 1-29 April 2025
Venue: UNED Madrid. Escuelas Pías. Room 4.
Hours of instruction: 10
Credits: 0.5 ECTS credits (pending).
PROGRAMME
Tuesday, 1 April. 7:00-8:30 p.m.
1st. Session: CLIMATE CRISIS VERSUS PLANETARY CRISIS.
Damian Herrera Cuesta Lecturer and Tutor in Sociology. UNED Madrid.
Friday, 4 April. 19:00-21:30 h.
2nd. Session: ECONOMIC PLANNING VERSUS DEMOCRATIC ECONOMIC PLANNING
- Introduction to the concept of planning. Historical background.
- Ecologies of planning today: Democratic planning in the age of planetary crises
Endika Alabort Amundarain Teaching Fellow
Tuesday, 8 April. 7:00-9:00 p.m.
3rd. Session: DEMOCRATIC ECONOMIC PLANNING: FIVE MODELS.
- Democracy and economic planning: the political economy of an autonomous society. Pat Devine
- Democratic Economic Planning. Robin Hahnel
- Economic planning in an era of climate crisis. Jan Philipp Dapprich, W. Paul Cockshott, Allin Cottrell
- Systemic socialism: a model of models. David Laibman
- Towards an inclusive democracy: the crisis of the growth economy and the need for a new liberating project. Takis Fotopoulos.
Damian Herrera Cuesta Lecturer in Sociology. UNED Madrid.
Friday, 25 April. 19:00-21:30 h.
4th. Session: A MARXIAN CRITIQUE OF THE COOPERATIVE ENTERPRISE
Organisational paradoxes
- The concept of paradox according to Critical Management Studies literature
- A Marxian review of the concept of organisational paradox
The cooperative as a producer of goods
- The cooperative as an organisation of direct solidarity between producers of goods
- The paradoxical consciousness of the producer of goods
The cooperative as a reproducer of capital
- Strategies of solidarity and competition of cooperatives
- The cooperative as the crystallisation of a class struggle
The paradoxes of the Mondragón cooperative
- Three internal paradoxes of the Mondragón cooperative
- Two external paradoxes of the Mondragón cooperative
Jon Las Heras Cuenca Professor Contratado Doctor
Tuesday, 29 April. 19:00-20:30.
5th. Session: CRITICAL TEXTS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PERSPECTIVE
The belly of the revolution: Agriculture, energy and the future of communism. Jasper Bernes
José Luis Carretero Miramar Teacher. IES School of Hospitality and Tourism