Talk: Planning for Future – Introduction to Democratic Economic Planning

This event will take place in German.

The event will be moderated by Nina Treu from the German leftist party Die Linke.

The description has been taken from the event website and translated:

In light of escalating environmental crises, growing social inequality, and rising authoritarian tendencies, it is becoming increasingly clear that an alternative economic system is needed. Against this backdrop, a lively debate about new forms of democratic economic planning has emerged in recent years. Since the practical implementation of such an economy requires concrete ideas and relevant knowledge, political actors and scholars are developing various models.

The central question is how production and supply can be organized democratically and how societal needs can be reconciled with available resources and technological possibilities. At the same time, there is debate over the political and institutional prerequisites required for such a transformation. These approaches do not claim to provide ready-made solutions to all problems. However, they open up important perspectives on how ecological sustainability and social justice can be linked.

In this event, we will trace the various positions in the field of democratic economic planning, discuss their potential and limitations, and examine the lessons that must be drawn from the experiences of actually existing socialism. The central question is to what extent democratic economic planning can serve as a key building block of an emancipatory vision for the future that enables a good life for all.