Brazil and Basic Income & Covid

The podcast exposes the concept and principles of co-operatives and the three main types of co-operatives: the consumer, credit and farmers buying and selling co-operatives. Furthermore, the history of the co-operative movement is presented. The authors draw the line from co-operatives to "degrowth" by arguing that these organisations discourage profit maximisation due to their ownership structure, their social purpose and their primacy of people over capital. The value of the members' co-operative share does not increase with the growth of a co-operative and it can not be used for speculation. Finally, the authors give examples for current co-operatives which empower (local) communities fostering social justice and environmentalism.

As the Covid-19 fueled economic downturn begins to intensify this winter, an extended study of the Italian cooperative sector’s historical resilience in times of crisis can serve as a learning experience for other countries seeking to create policies that foster more stable economies, with job security, care for marginalized communities and adequate counter-cyclical policies. Particularly, the Italian cooperative sector’s contributions to three aspects should be noted in closing. Firstly, the innovative phenomenon of cooperative enterprises has contributed to social inclusion of immigrant communities, the activation of youth, the unemployed and people with disabilities, a true compensation for both a market and state failure. Secondly, they have contributed to a reduction in income and wealth inequalities at a time when the issue of inequality is of global significance. Thirdly, the Italian cooperative movement has helped local communities revitalize in the face of demographic shifts and rendered them more resilient to the ravages of globalization. Each of these in their own right is a remarkable achievement.

Is degrowth bad economics? To properly answer this question, it is essential to understand what economic growth really is. The term ‘growth’ is often associated with an increase in wealth, a term loosely defined, but according to the degrowth-movement, economic growth is a narrower concept only describing an increase in Gross Domestic …

In diesem Vortrag fragt Hartmut Rosa zunächst, was die Moderne und moderne Gesellschaften sind. Er beschreibt diese als Gesellschaften, die nur dynamisch über Steigerung zu stabilisieren sind und gezwungenermaßen krisenanfällig sind. Zudem wird erläutert, welche Rollen Beschleunigung und Entfremdung dabei spielen. Rosa macht vier Krisen aus, in der Ökonomie, der Politik, der Ökologie und der menschlichen Psyche, diese Krisen beschreibt er als miteinander verwoben. Zur Analyse von Beschleunigung und Entfremdung präsentiert Rosa Ansätze aus der Kritischen Theorie.

The need for the movement Black Lives Matter and the tragic events that preceded it are the clear manifestation of the problem of discrimination today, which we all intuitively perceive as a poignant socio-economic question of our times.

Poetry Slams sind nicht nur unterhaltsam, auch machen sie Lyrik – und damit unterschiedliche sprachliche Ebenen – einem breiteren Publikum zugänglich. Doch birgt ihre Erarbeitung und Präsentation im Rahmen des wissenschaftlichen Hochschulstudiums auch das Potenzial, Bildungsprozesse anzustoßen, die Studierenden die Möglichkeit bieten, drängende gesellschaftliche Probleme zu reflektieren, einzuordnen, wissenschaftlich zu …