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Scientific paper

Text

Are we there yet?

Author:
Jana Gebauer

Entry type:
Scientific paper

Year of publication:
2016

Publishers:
Degrowth Conference Budapest 2016

Language:
English

The SOLIKON 2015 was a Berlin-based international congress on solidarity economy and social-ecological transformation. From Sept 5 to Sept 13, it gathered 1.400 people under the slogan “We know other ways!” Activists, practitioners, multipliers and individual participants discussed a variety of approaches, visions, examples and possible lines of convergence of an alternative economy for social-ecological change. The SOLIKON was accompanied by an evaluation based on guided interviews and an online survey. Both aimed at receiving the participants’ feedback as well as their opinions regarding the status and perspectives of an alternative economic model. We collected roughly 20 oral and 200 written responses to questions such as: What are key characteristics of a solidarity economy and other approaches within the movement for a social-ecological transformation? What's their key transformative lever, their main contribution? Is a "new economy" emerging out of this broad movement? What’s holding it back? What would most effectively support the diffusion of an alternative economy, what should be the contribution of governmental or societal actors? What’s the role of organizational growth or collaboration - what could be the greatest possible benefit of fostering collaboration and convergence? We will present general as well as target-group-specific results of both the interviews and the online survey. We hope to lay the ground for an in-depth discussion of the conceptual foundations and characteristics of alternative economic approaches, their common ground and vision that might form a new economy as well as the perceived size, impact and perspective of this possibly new economy


This media entry was a contribution to the special session „Are we there yet?“ at the 5th International Degrowth Conference in Budapest in 2016.

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