german

Even in conservative circles, distrust has grown about the ability of capitalist economic methods to handle the biggest ecological and socio-political challenges of the 21st century.  The accumulation of massive wealth, whilst at the same time impoverishing and driving into debt a large part of the global population and the reckless destruction of planet Earth, are not aberrations of current politics, rather they are necessary components of a system based on increasing capital.

The Forum will enable the controversial discussion about various ways to handle common goods in the public domain.  Water will be used as an example to show the tension between communal administration and Solidarity Economy methods of public participation and self organization as well as to allow the exchange of practical experience.  Can co-operatives provide an alternative to a democratic administration by public authorities?

Are there solidarity living arrangements which can provide an alternative to exorbitant rents and speculation? Apartment building syndicates and co-operative residential models pave the way to de-privatization and to affordable housing.  We discuss concepts for collective ownership of land and buildings, solidarity financing, ecological and sustainable building methods and the self management of residential and project dwellings.  Houses for those who live in them!

Living well and working well, how do we fare with work as the basis of individual socilization in light of disaffection, unemployment, burn out etc on one hand and on the other the constant development of the productive forces and global/digital networking of society’s labour?  How can people, existence and work be reconciled again?  How can work be returned to the self determined, co-operative activity which people actually created in the first place?

The different approaches to social trends are like pieces of a  puzzle, but do they fit together?  Where do they work for or against each other? Is there even enough agreement to enable working on a common strategy?  At this Convergence Forum we attempt to lay a foundation for the social-economic paradigm shift by clarifying the game rules.

Method: “Open Space” will make a brief contribution (flexible small groups).

After some opening words by the organisers and a keynote by Paul Mason under the title „Capitalism is dying – What next?“, a panel discussion will engage with the role and strategic relevance of three transformational dimensions:
1.) Practice (concrete alternatives, solidarity economy) – from niched initiatives to widespread recognition
2.) Regime (economic and political structures and institutions): How can the global transformation towards an ecologically and socially just economy and politics be achieved?