Hello and welcome to INDEP – the International Network for Democratic Economic Planning.
INDEP launched in July 2024 with the purpose to bring together individuals and organisations from around the world who are working to advance democratic economic planning as the basis of a post-capitalist economic system.
We share a vision for an economy in which the important decisions are made consciously and collectively via democratic procedures, instead of by state authorities nor markets.
My name is Jason and I’m part of the interim steering group and the communications & technology team. We have spent the last few months working together to get this network set up. The interim steering group which will guide the development of the network for the first year, is made up by workers, students, researchers, and activists from across the democratic economic planning community, and includes members from groups in the Participatory Economy Project, the Research Center on Social Innovation and Transformation, Ciber-Communismo and Demokratische Wirtschaftsplanung Netzwerk.
Against the backdrop of multiple crises, including the ecological and climate emergency, there has been a revival in interest in democratic planning. Here is a selection of some of the events that have happened over the last year:
- The Democratic Economic Planning Research Group at the Research Center on Social Innovation and Transformation in Canada organised a series of lectures on various topics on democratic economic planning by a number of speakers in the field.
- In Germany, a Conference on Democratic Economic Planning was organised in Berlin together with the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. Members of the community launched an information website on democratic economic planning.
- Transform! Europe hosted a series of webinars on democratic planning, including topics on people’s planning and Local vs. National/EU-level planning.
- A conference at the University of Chicago took place on the Green Transition, Democracy and Planning.
- And an international conference on democratic economic planning was organised as part of the congress of the Association française d’économie politique (AFEP) in Montpellier France (where we ended up having our first in-person INDEP event).
Through interactions and conversations in these spaces, many of us came to the conclusion that it would be valuable to form a network to connect, share information and collaborate together. Hence INDEP was born!
You can read more about INDEP, its mission, aims, values and FAQs on our about page.
Our plans for the first year are to begin sending out a regular newsletter to keep people informed with all the latest news on democratic economic planning, organise a programme of events, and to expand and diversify by welcoming members of other countries and cultures.
- To become a member of INDEP, simply register here.
- If you want to follow our news, sign up to our newsletter.
If you have any news or events related to democratic economic planning, please do send it to us and we will share it across the network. To find out more ways to get involved and contribute, please visit our get involved page.
Thanks, and welcome to the network.