Boekbepsreking - Book Launch
”Democratiseer ons werk!
Hoe kunnen we de stem van werknemers versterken?”
Date: February 15, 2023
Time: 8pm (Amsterdam)
Location: Pakhuis de Zwijger, Piet Heinkade 179, 1019 HC Amsterdam (on site)
Organizers: University of Groningen and FNV.nl
Speakers: Tuur Elzinga (president of the Netherlands Trade Union Confederation, FNV), Isabelle Ferreras (University of Louvain/Harvard Labor and Worklife Program), Anja Dijkman (FNV), Tim Christiaens (Tilburg University) and Damion Bunders (Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam) as speakers, Lisa Herzog (University of Groningen) as moderator
Wat gebeurt er met onze samenleving en de planeet als het kapitalisme de democratie ondermijnt? De spanningen tussen democratie en kapitalisme bestaan al lang en de sociale gevolgen van COVID-19 hebben die versterkt. Wie essentieel werk doet wordt laagbetaald en heeft weinig te zeggen. En in de platformeconomie is een algoritme de baas. Hoe kunnen we de zeggenschap van werkenden terugvorderen? In 2020 eisten de opstellers van een manifest over de toekomst van werk om de balans op de werkvloer te herstellen. Nu is er de Nederlandse vertaling van Democratize Work met argumenten en voorstellen voor een democratische toekomst. Isabelle Ferreras, een van de initiatiefnemers van deze beweging, zal de belangrijkste ideeën over democratie in organisaties presenteren, gevolgd door een panelgesprek.
More information and registration: https://dezwijger.nl/programma/democratiseer-ons-werk
The recording is available on our Youtube page and below:
Bbetween 2022 Civic Engagement
Il dibattito pubblico contemporaneo: lo stato del lavoro
“Lavoro in 3D: Democratizzare, Demercificare, Disinquinare”
Date: November 9, 2022
Time: 2.30pm-4.30pm CET
Location: online (registration here)
Organizers: Centro di ricerca PRAGSIA - Public Reasoning and Global Society in Action presso il Dipartimento di Sociologia e Ricerca Sociale dell’Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca.
Speakers: Isabelle Ferreras (Université de Louvain), Laura Pennacchi (Fondazione Lelio e Lisli Basso, Roma), Leonard Mazzone (Università di Milano-Bicocca) as speakers, and Marina Calloni (Università di Milano-Bicocca) as moderator
Bbetween 2022 Civic Engagement - Il dibattito pubblico contemporaneo: lo stato del lavoro è un percorso proposto in collaborazione con il centro di ricerca PRAGSIA - Public Reasoning and Global Society in Action presso il Dipartimento di Sociologia e Ricerca Sociale dell’Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca.
Il lavoro è al centro di ogni attività umana, come fattore di ricchezza, ma anche di povertà. La sua trasformazione segue le evoluzioni e le regressioni di intere comunità, società e Stati, secondo un’ottica sempre più globale.
Obiettivo del percorso è approfondire la tematica del lavoro, offrendo ai partecipanti l’opportunità di acquisire maggiori strumenti per comprendere l’attuale situazione sociale, economica e culturale, dentro e fuori i confini del nostro Paese, a partire dal nuovo ruolo che lo Stato sta assumendo su diversi fronti.
Sempre più dirimente è diventata la necessità di affrontare le molte emergenze che si sono profilate all’orizzonte: dalla crisi pandemica ed economica, fino a quella bellica e ambientale. Lo Stato si trova dunque a dover prevedere nuovi interventi occupazionali, unitamente a proposte di welfare (di prossimità), passando attraverso la prospettiva della transizione ecologica.
Quali sono allora le novità introdotte dal nuovo “interventismo” dello Stato sociale rispetto alle tradizionali democrazie liberali, affermatesi alla fine del secondo conflitto mondiale? Quali sono le strategie pubbliche da utilizzare per rinnovare il welfare e democratizzare le aziende, demercificare il lavoro e disinquinare il pianeta?
Il programma completo è disponibile qui.
More information: https://www.unimib.it/eventi/stato-del-lavoro
To register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe33f2NZ1fCX5CafPfEOjuENmPkLTYsytTiKwE-1prWhMP04Q/viewform
“The Critical Challenges faced by the Quest for Better Work”
Book Discussion on Democratize Work
Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur la mondialisation et le travail (CRIMT)
Date: October 27, 2022
Time: 16h15-18h (Montreal time)
Location: HEC Montréal and online (hybrid format)
Organizers: Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur la mondialisation et le travail (CRIMT)
Speakers: Isabelle Ferreras (UCLouvain), Nicola Countouris (ETUI), David Doorey (York University), Adrienne Eaton (Rutgers University), Valeria Pulignano (KU Leuven) as speakers, and Janice Fine (Rutgers University) as chair
More information on the full program here (page 18)
Registration is mandatory: http://www.crimt.net/crimt2022-inscription/
Book Discussion on Democratize Work
Labor and Worklife Program (Harvard Law School)
Date: October 26, 2022
Time: 12:15-1:30 pm ET
Location: Wasserstein Hall, Room 209, Harvard Law School (the event is hybrid*)
Organizers: Labor and Worklife Program (Harvard Law School) and Social Innovation Change Innitiative (SICI)
Speakers: Isabelle Ferreras (University of Louvain/Harvard Labor and Worklife Program) and Julie Battilana (HBS /HKS-SICI), Archon Fung (HKS), Marshall Ganz (HKS), Nien-hê Hsieh (HBS) and Anna Stansbury (MIT Sloan) as panelists, Sharon Block (HLS) as chair
The event will consist of two parts: first, a presentation by two of the co-editors of Democratize Work, followed by a panel discussion of leading scholars of democracy and labor on the themes presented in the book.
More information is available on the invitation here.
*Link to attend the event online: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/99064733354?pwd=VmkvYk1lb2hFRTZWSW5kZWpldXR2QT09
Fondazione Feltrinelli - Alessandro Pansa Lecture
”Lavoratori senza rappresentanza”
Date: October 5, 2022
Time: 6.30pm (Milano)
Location: Viale Pasubio 5, Milano
Organizers: Fondazione Feltrinelli
Speakers: Alain Supiot (Collège de France), Flavia Maximo (Universidade Federal de Outro Preto), Maurizio Landini (Segretario Generale della CGIL), Domenico De Masi (sociologo), Fedra Negri (Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca)
Di cosa parliamo?
Nell’ambito del premio intitolato ad Alessandro Pansa, che assegna borse di studio a giovani ricercatori nel campo delle discipline economiche e della sociologia del lavoro, Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, in accordo con la famiglia Pansa, in collaborazione con l’Università LUISS “Guido Carli” e la Scuola di Politiche promuovono una nuovo appuntamento con le “Alessandro Pansa Lecture”.
Secondo studi recenti l’astensione dal voto è fortemente correlato con disuguaglianza, polarizzazione dei redditi, povertà e disoccupazione. Tutti fenomeni che concorrono fortemente ad alimentare la sfiducia nella politica e la crisi della rappresentanza.
In un contesto in cui il lavoro dipendente rappresenta il 72% della forza lavoro (su 23 milioni di occupati) la presenza del mondo del lavoro dipendente nelle istituzioni appare fortemente sottodimensionata. Statistiche che designano un lavoratore autonomo su quattro a rischio povertà concorrono a mostrare come molte partite iva, freelance e autonomi siano in realtà nella condizione che un tempo si sarebbe definito “proletariato”.
Se il presente ci parla di frammentazione e fluidità delle parabole lavorative, sono ancora possibili le identità collettive fondate sul lavoro? Chi può raccogliere le istanze e la voce dei lavoratori? Su quale base è possibile dare risposte alle domande di protezione e inclusione del mondo del lavoro?
More information: https://fondazionefeltrinelli.it/premiopansa2022/
The recording is available in Italian on this page and below:
Internazionale a Ferrara
Presentation of the book Il Manifesto del Lavoro
Date: September 30, 2022
Time: 5PM Ferrara (Italy)
Location: Ridotto del Teatro Comunale (corso Martiri della Libertà 5, Ferrara)
Organizers: Internazionale a Ferrara
Speakers: Dominique Méda (University of Paris Dauphine PLS) et Marco D’Eramo (journalist)
In italiano e francese (traduzione consecutiva)
Democratizzare le aziende, demercificare il lavoro e disinquinare il pianeta: tre imperativi per agire collettivamente e riportare equilibrio, giustizia e rispetto per tutte e tutti in un’epoca in cui pandemie, eccessi populisti e sconvolgimenti climatici sono minacce estremamente concrete. Il manifesto di un gruppo di scienziate sociali per affrontare l’attuale crisi globale.
For more information: https://www.internazionale.it/festival
General Assembly of the
Italian #DemocratizingWork National Chapter
Date: September 30 - October 1, 2022
Location: Fondazione Innovazione Urbana (Bologna)
Organizers: #DemocratizingWork Italian National Chapter
Program (position paper available in English and in Italian):
Venerdì 30/09
14:00-17:00: Assemblea pubblica (moderano Paolo Borghi e Marco Marrone)
18:00-19:30: Presentazione del libro “Il Manifesto del Lavoro” (con Flavia Maximo)
Sabato 01/10
9.30-13:00: Fare rete: incontro con le organizzazioni e i movimenti
Il programma completo è disponibile qui.
Participation is free but registration is mandatory: https://bit.ly/assembleaDW
Any questions? Do not hesitate to reach out to democratizingwork2021it@gmail.com
Watch the highlights on this page and below:
Official Launch of DemocracyNext
Date: September 15, 2022
Time: 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM CEST
Location: online
Organizers: DemocracyNext
Speakers: Claudia Chwalisz (DemocracyNext), Panthea Lee (Reboot), Hélène Landemore (Yale University), Brenda Ogembo (Parliament of Kenya), Art O’Leary (Electoral Commission of Ireland, Citizens’ Assemblies), David Van Reybrouck (G1000)
There is another democratic future beyond broken electoral politics or autocracy, and we want to help make it a reality. We have been working to set up a new organisation that will do just that – challenging the status quo with a vision of an alternative democratic future, and working to bring it to life.
DemocracyNext is an international non-profit, non-partisan research and action institute. Our mission is to build new institutions for the next democratic paradigm of citizen participation, representation, and deliberation. We want to create a more just, joyful, and collaborative future where everyone has meaningful power to shape their societies.
Join us as we celebrate our official launch on 15 September 2022, the International Day of Democracy.
For those not able to make it, we'll record the event and make it available on our website.
Agenda:
17.00-17.10 CEST Opening narrative “Imagine living in the next democratic paradigm”
A narrative inviting viewers to imagine living in 2030 and receiving an invitation to serve as a member of a new deliberative democratic institution.
Claudia Chwalisz, CEO and Founder of DemocracyNext
17.10-17.55 CEST Panel discussion “Next democratic paradigm: How do we get there?”
Why do we need to transition to the next democratic paradigm? What some of its central pillars could be? Where are we now? What can we build on?
Moderator
Panthea Lee, Executive Director and Founder of Reboot
Panelists
Hélène Landemore, Full Professor of Political Science at Yale University, author of Open Democracy, Strategic Advisor of DemocracyNext
Brenda Ogembo, Principal Clerk Assistant, Senate Legislative and Procedural Services - Parliament of Kenya
Art O’Leary, Secretary General to the President of Ireland, former Secretary to the Constitutional Convention
David Van Reybrouck, cultural historian, archaeologist, and author of Against Elections: The Case for Democracy
Discussant
Claudia Chwalisz, CEO and Founder of DemocracyNext
17.55-18.15 CEST Q&A
18.15-18.30 CEST Conclusion and invitation to connect
More information: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/democracynext-virtual-launch-event-tickets-392352104707
The recording is available in English on this page.
Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics
”Author Meets Critics” during the Annual Meeting
Date: July 10, 2022
Time: 4:45-6:15 PM CET
Location: University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands) - on site (A Building, A2.11) and online (livestream access: https://sase.org/event/2022-amsterdam/#livestream-events)
Organizers: Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics
Speakers: Virginia Doellgast (Cornell University ILR School), Dalia Gesualdi-Fecteau (UQAM), Anke Hassel (Hertie School of Governance), Lukas Lehner (University of Oxford), David Peetz (Griffith University) as critics, Isabelle Ferreras (University of Louvain/FNRS-Harvard LWP, Royal Academy of Belgium) as book author, and Gregor Murray (University of Montreal) as moderator
An urgent and deeply resonant case for the power of workplace democracy to restore balance between economy and society.
What happens to a society—and a planet—when capitalism outgrows democracy? The tensions between democracy and capitalism are longstanding, and they have been laid bare by the social effects of COVID-19. The narrative of “essential workers” has provided thin cover for the fact that society’s lowest paid and least empowered continue to work risky jobs that keep our capitalism humming. Democracy has been subjugated by the demands of capitalism. For many, work has become unfair.
In Democratize Work, essays from a dozen social scientists—all women—articulate the perils and frustrations of our collective moment, while also framing the current crisis as an opportunity for renewal and transformation. Amid mounting inequalities tied to race, gender, and class—and with huge implications for the ecological fate of the planet—the authors detail how adjustments in how we organize work can lead to sweeping reconciliation. By treating workers as citizens, treating work as something other than an asset, and treating the planet as something to be cared for, a better way is attainable. Building on cross-disciplinary research, Democratize Work is both a rallying cry and an architecture for a sustainable economy that fits the democratic project of our societies.
Contributors include Alyssa Battistoni (Barnard College of Columbia University), Adelle Blackett (McGill University), Julia Cagé (Sciences Po), Neera Chandhoke (University of Delhi), Lisa Herzog (University of Groningen), Imge Kaya Sabanci (IE Business School), Sara Lafuente (European Trade Union Institute), Hélène Landemore (Yale University), Flávia Máximo (Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Brazil), and Pavlina R. Tcherneva (Levy Economics Institute of Bard College).
More detailed information about the session: https://sase.confex.com/sase/2022/meetingapp.cgi/Session/6385
More information about the Annual Meeting and registration: https://sase.org/event/2022-amsterdam/
The recording is available in English on this page (starts at 6:46:40).
Castelvecchi Editore
Tavola rotonda in occasione dell’uscita in Italia del libro “Il manifesto del lavoro”
Date: July 6, 2022
Time: 6 PM CET (Rome time)
Location: Palazzo Wedekind – Sala Angiolillo (366 Piazza Colonna, Roma)
Organizers: Castelvecchi Editore
Speakers: Pasquale Tridico (Presidente dell’INPS), Marina Calloni (Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca), Stefano Fassina (Deputato LeU), Maurizio Landini (Segretario Generale CGIL), Andrea Orlando (Ministro del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali), and Laura Pennacchi (economista e politica) as speakers, and Paola Severini Melograni (giornalista e autrice radiotelevisiva) as moderator
A cura di Isabelle Ferreras – Julie Battilana – Dominique Méda
Castelvecchi editore – Prefazione di Maurizio Landini – pp. 142 – 15 euro – Traduzione dal francese e dall’inglese di Mauro Ghidoni
“Da leggere assolutamente!” Thomas Piketty
“Democratizzare (le aziende), demercificare (il lavoro) e disinquinare (il pianeta)”: è questa la formula per affrontare la crisi globale che stiamo attraversando, dall’emergenza sanitaria alla devastazione ambientale, dalla crisi economica alla guerra in seno all’Europa. In un’epoca in cui pandemie, eccessi populisti e sconvolgimenti climatici sono passati dal rappresentare una minaccia incombente all’accompagnare concretamente la quotidianità, arriva in Italia Il manifesto del lavoro (Castelvecchi Editore), libro a cura di Isabelle Ferreras, Julie Battilana e Dominique Méda,nato dall’appello, tradotto in 27 lingue e sottoscritto da migliaia di studiose/i in tutto il mondo, che ha dato avvio in poche settimane a un movimento mondiale per la democrazia, il lavoro e l’ambiente. L’edizione italiana ha un’introduzione firmata dal segretario generale della CGIL, Maurizio Landini.
È ormai chiaro che un sistema come il nostro, incentrato sulla crescente concentrazione della ricchezza e sulle diseguaglianze sociali, sia alla lunga insostenibile, e la crisi multidimensionale che dobbiamo affrontare – economica, ma soprattutto ecologica e sociale – ne è l’esito inevitabile. L’attuale modello di crescita è quindi fallito: com’è potuto accadere e come fare per cambiare rotta? Studiosi e ricercatori si sono uniti per rispondere a queste domande a partire da competenze e settori diversi, con l’obiettivo di evidenziare le falle del sistema corrente e di immaginare le alternative possibili, rimettendo il lavoro al centro del dibattito culturale.
Il manifesto del lavoro intende segnare la strada per agire collettivamente e portare equilibrio, giustizia e rispetto ovunque, per tutte e tutti, a partire dalla costruzione collettiva di un linguaggio condiviso, che già ha unito scienziati e accademici di tutto il mondo, al di là delle convenzionali barriere disciplinari, e che si rivolge allo stesso modo a lavoratori e non, sindacalisti e politici, alla società civile in generale.
Un futuro democratico, ecologico e femminista, per una società giusta e fiera delle sue diversità: questo non è soltanto un auspicio, ma è l’unica via per salvarci da un modello di società che sta colando a picco.
Testi di: Julie Battilana, Isabelle Ferreras, Hélène Landemore, Lisa Herzog, Imge Kaya Sabanci, Adelle Blackett, Sara Lafuente, Julia Cagé, Pavlina R. Tcherneva, Neera Chandhoke, Flavia Maximo, Alyssa Battistoni, Dominique Méda.
More information: http://www.castelvecchieditore.com/2022/07/01/06-07-il-manifesto-del-lavoro-a-palazzo-wedekind-roma-2/
The recording is available in Italian on this page (audio and video): https://www.radioradicale.it/scheda/672557/presentazione-del-libro-il-manifesto-del-lavoro-democratizzare-demercificare
European Trade Union Confederation/ETUI Conference
A Blueprint for equality
“Panel 13: Democratizing firms to redress power inequality”
Date: June 23, 2022
Time: 9am-10.30am (Brussels time)
Location: Thon Hotel EU
Organizers: European Trade Union Institute (ETUI)
Speaker: Sarah Lafuente Hernandez (researcher, ETUI), Agnes Akkerman (University of Amsterdam), Andrew Cumbers (University of Glasgow), Isabelle Ferreras (UCLouvain), Andrea Bassi (Bologna University), Stan De Spiegelaere (Director of Policy and Research, UNI Europa)
Perhaps more than ever after Covid-19 and in the context of larger democratic crisis, redistributing political power and reinforcing political democracy means ensuring that workers have a decisive voice in decisions affecting the strategies and orientation of their work organisation. This panel will address the potential of democratizing firms, especially their procedures of decision-making, to redress power inequality in the workplace and in society at large. The panel will explore what are the conditions required for its success and how can this be implemented in practice.
The goal is twofold: firstly, situating the democratization of firms as a core priority in the agenda towards social and political equality. Secondly, encouraging the debate on workplace democratization beyond the more traditional frames of the trade union agenda. In that vein, the panel will make special reference to worker buyouts and cooperatives models in Europe, and to a novel proposal for governing firms: economic bicameralism. The role and opportunities for trade unions in revitalizing and developing such new practices and institutions to implement democracy at work will be central in the discussion.
More information: https://www.etui.org/events/blueprint-equality
The recording is available in English on this page and below:
Journée d’étude
“Démarchandiser, démocratiser, dépolluer et expérimenter le travail. La contribution des ‘Territoires zéro chômeur de longue durée’”
Date: June 22, 2022
Time: 9AM - 4.30PM (Brussels time)
Location: on-site (Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Rue Ducale 1 à 1000 Bruxelles - Écuries royales, Salle de Duve)
Organizers: Le Groupe de contact FNRS « Redéfinir la prospérité », le groupe de recherches « Travail, Entreprises et Démocratie » (Cridis-IACHOS-UCLouvain), le Centre Socialiste d’Education Permanente et le chapitre belge du réseau #DemocratizingWork
Speakers: Isabelle Ferreras (FNRS/TED-CriDIS-UCLouvain), Bénédicte Sohet (ConcertES), Elise Dermine ('ULB), Ides Nicaise (HIVA/KULeuven), Sébastien Brunet (IWEPS), Guéric Bosmans (FGTB), Paul Hermant (CESEP), Thomas Bailly (Pays Terres de Lorraine), Aurélie Machelin (Territoires zéro chômeur de longue durée, France), Géraldine Thiry (ICHEC, UCLouvain), Halène Ancion (Inter-environnement Wallonie), Antoine Scalliet (ATD Quart-Monde Belgique), Julien Charles (CESEP/TED-CriDIS-UCLouvain), Christine Mahy (RWLP), Tom Bauler (IGEAT-ULB), Auriane Lamine (CRIDES, UCLouvain), Céline Romainville (CRECO, UCLouvain), Joan Stavo-Debauge (Université de Lausanne), Céline Niewenhuys (Fédération des Services sociaux), Laurent Grandguillaume (Territoires zéro chômeur de longue durée), Christie Morreale (Gouvernement wallon)
Inscription (gratuite) obligatoire avant le 8 juin à l’adresse catherine.leonard@cesep.be
Le programme complet est accessible ici
No recording available.
Benjamin Lectures, Berlin
“Three faces of capitalist labor: uncovering the hidden ties among gender race and class”
Date: June 14-16, 2022
Time: 6pm-8pm (Berlin time)
Location: Haus der Kulturen der Welt (and later on Youtube)
Organizers: Critical Theory in Berlin
Speaker: Nancy Fraser (New School, NY)
Nancy Fraser’s 2022 Benjamin lectures are inspired by a striking claim made by W.E.B. Du Bois in his 1935 masterpiece, Black Reconstruction. Characterizing abolition as a labor movement, Du Bois held that US history would have been fundamentally altered had the anti-slavery forces been united with movements of free white wage workers. For Du Bois, the failure of these “two labor movements” to recognize one another squandered the chance to build a labor democracy and set the United States on the road to plutocracy. Fraser’s lectures extend Du Bois’s idea to the present and to the rest of the world. Given the persistence of dependent and expropriated labor, she asks: Can the anti-racist and anti-imperialist struggles of our era be usefully viewed as unrecognized labor struggles? And if so, why stop there? Can we view feminist movements, too, as unacknowledged struggles over work in systems built on a gendered separation of paid “productive labor” from unpaid carework? Elaborating these hypotheses, Fraser argues that capitalist societies rely on three analytically distinct but mutually imbricated forms of labor: exploited, expropriated, and domesticated. She further argues that the historically shifting relations among these three faces of labor constitute the hidden ties among gender, race, and class. Disclosing those hidden ties, finally, Fraser considers the relations among, not two, but three labor movements and evaluates the prospects for uniting them.
More information: https://criticaltheoryinberlin.de/en/benjamin-lectures/
No recording available.
London
”Democratize Work” Book Discussion
Date: June 9, 2022
Time: 4.30pm-6pm (London time)
Location: Pelican House (144 Cambridge Heath Rd, Bethnal Green, London E1 5QJ)
Organizers: UK National Chapter of #DemocratizingWork and Common Wealth Think-Tank
Speakers: Isabelle Ferreras (University of Louvain/FNRS-Harvard LWP, Royal Academy of Belgium), Hélène Landemore (Yale University), Amelia Horgan (University of Essex, Common Wealth), Parth Patel (IPPR), Mathew Lawrence (Common Wealth), & more TBA
This 9th June, Common Wealth and Autonomy will host the London launch of Democratize Work (Chicago University Press) — edited by Isabelle Ferreas, Julie Battilana, and Dominique Méda — which argues for workplace democracy to rebalance power in the economy and society at large.
Democratize Work is a collection of essays from a dozen social scientists – all women – that makes the case for reorganising work to build a sustainable economy that fits the democratic project of our societies.
To celebrate the book’s launch, Isabelle Ferreas and Hélène Landemore will be in conversation with Parth Patel (IPPR), Amelia Horgan (Common Wealth) and more TBA. The panel will be chaired by Mathew Lawrence (Common Wealth). Their discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A.
More information and registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/democratize-work-the-case-for-reorganizing-the-economy-tickets-344150472327
No recording available.
Oxford
“Democratize Work” Colloquium
Date: June 7, 2022
Time: 6.30-8.00 PM (Oxford time)
Location: online (on-site is on invitation only) - Watch live on YouTube from here
Organizers: The Institute for Ethics in AI (Oxford University)
Speakers: Isabelle Ferreras (University of Louvain/FNRS-Harvard LWP, Royal Academy of Belgium) and Hélène Landemore (Yale University) as speakers, Joshua Cohen (Apple University), Abigail Adams-Prassl (University of Oxford), Sharon Block (Harvard Law School), and Jeremias Adams-Prassl (University of Oxford) as commentators, chaired by John Tasioulias (Institute for Ethics and AI, University of Oxford)
An urgent and deeply resonant case for the power of workplace democracy to restore balance between economy and society.
What happens to a society—and a planet—when capitalism outgrows democracy? The tensions between democracy and capitalism are longstanding, and they have been laid bare by the social effects of COVID-19. The narrative of “essential workers” has provided thin cover for the fact that society’s lowest paid and least empowered continue to work risky jobs that keep our capitalism humming. Democracy has been subjugated by the demands of capitalism. For many, work has become unfair.
In Democratize Work, essays from a dozen social scientists—all women—articulate the perils and frustrations of our collective moment, while also framing the current crisis as an opportunity for renewal and transformation. Amid mounting inequalities tied to race, gender, and class—and with huge implications for the ecological fate of the planet—the authors detail how adjustments in how we organize work can lead to sweeping reconciliation. By treating workers as citizens, treating work as something other than an asset, and treating the planet as something to be cared for, a better way is attainable. Building on cross-disciplinary research, Democratize Work is both a rallying cry and an architecture for a sustainable economy that fits the democratic project of our societies.
Contributors include Alyssa Battistoni (Barnard College of Columbia University), Adelle Blackett (McGill University), Julia Cagé (Sciences Po), Neera Chandhoke (University of Delhi), Lisa Herzog (University of Groningen), Imge Kaya Sabanci (IE Business School), Sara Lafuente (European Trade Union Institute), Hélène Landemore (Yale University), Flávia Máximo (Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Brazil), and Pavlina R. Tcherneva (Levy Economics Institute of Bard College).
The Institute for Ethics in AI will bring together world-leading philosophers and other experts in the humanities with the technical developers and users of AI in academia, business and government. The ethics and governance of AI is an exceptionally vibrant area of research at Oxford and the Institute is an opportunity to take a bold leap forward from this platform.
Every day brings more examples of the ethical challenges posed by AI; from face recognition to voter profiling, brain machine interfaces to weaponised drones, and the ongoing discourse about how AI will impact employment on a global scale. This is urgent and important work that we intend to promote internationally as well as embedding in our own research and teaching here at Oxford.
More information: https://www.oxford-aiethics.ox.ac.uk/event/ethics-ai-colloquium-democratizing-work-live-online-event
The recording is available in English on this page and below:
Webinar
”Democratize Work” Global Book Launch
Date: May 16, 2022
Time: 11am-12.30pm NYC / 5-6.30pm Paris / 8.30-10pm Delhi
Location: Online
Organizers: Core Group of #DemocratizingWork
We have exciting news: our collective volume Democratize Work: The Case for Reorganizing the Economy is out and now available to order at the University of Chicago Press!
On the 2-year anniversary of the release of the op-ed, we invite you to join us for a special 1-hour panel discussion followed by 45min Q&A, on the book with outstanding speakers:
• Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation and former President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions
• Jayati Ghosh, Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, member of United Nations High-Level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs, and former Chairperson of the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, India
• Nicolas Grau, Minister of Economy, Development and Reconstruction of Chile
• Thomas Piketty, Professor of Economics at the Paris School of Economics-EHESS, France, and author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century.
• Moderator, Sharon Block, Professor of Practice and Executive Director of the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School and former Acting Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for the Biden Administration.
The panel will be followed by a 30 minute-discussion between the audience and us, the 13 authors of the book. This discussion will be chaired by Adelle Blackett of McGill University.
Registration link: https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_daCtB26jQxG7MrIytK-wxw
The recording in English is available on our Youtube page and below:
Panel discussion
”How Green is Socialism?”
Date: May 13, 2022
Time: 6pm-8pm (Berlin time)
Location: Deutsches Historisches Museum Berlin
Organizers: Critical Theory in Berlin
Speakers: Klaus Dörre (University of Jena), Raul Zelik (Universidad Nacional de Colombia), Nancy Fraser (New School)
From an ecological point of view, capitalism has considerable disadvantages: Not only does its logic of growth deplete existing resources at a frantic and ever-increasing speed, but capitalism’s reward system also incentivizes people to exploit natural wealth free of charge. Once raw materials are used up, the systemic compulsion to minimize costs in a capitalist economy also punishes those who do not pass on the consequences of consumption and production to others. Consequently, the oceans are polluted and the atmosphere—after acid rain and ozone depletion—is finally on the verge of collapse due to constant pollution by industrial exhaust gases.
Against this background, it is not necessary to have a detailed knowledge of Marx’s excerpts on industrial agriculture to see why his theory on how capitalism works is experiencing a renaissance in contemporary ecological discussions. Increasingly, the diagnosis is presented: Capitalism cannot solve the current ecological crises. What is needed is a different (in want of a better name: “socialist”) society.
As convincing as the diagnosis of the causes of the manifold ecological crises is, the proposal to see the solution to the problems in socialism must come as a surprise. Neither the actually existing socialist states of the 20th century nor the socialism of the 21st century in China and Venezuela have a convincing ecological record. On the contrary, it seems almost as if capitalism’s unleashed spirit of innovation is developing ecological restructuring into just the latest guarantor of growth. We therefore discuss with three Marx-inspired proponents of ecological socialism, the limits of capitalism’s capacity for change and their ideas for a sustainable democratic society.
More information: https://criticaltheoryinberlin.de/en/event/how-green-is-socialism/
No recording available.
Webinar
”The role of cooperatives in democratizing
and greening the economy”
Date: May 10, 2022
Time: 4.30pm-6pm (Amsterdam time)
Location: Online
Organizers: Dutch chapter of #DemocratizingWork
Speakers: Tine De Moor (Rotterdam School of Management), Thijs Spaargaren (Schoongewoon), Marijke Flamman (NCR)
When it comes to discussions on democratizing work, cooperatives, and worker cooperatives in particular, are a topic that is increasingly gaining traction across countries and economic sectors. While there are clearly diverse types of cooperatives, some common characteristics define the underlying values and ideational frameworks behind the cooperative model, and in particular worker cooperatives. Cooperation, solidarity, horizontal work relations, and democratic self-governance of the workplace and the production process are the core values that can be recognised in many cooperatives. In this webinar, we set out to grapple with the question of what we can learn about democratizing work from current experiences of cooperatives and their struggles, focusing on the situation in the Netherlands. While we will discuss the ways in which worker cooperatives could democratize work by looking into concrete examples from the Dutch context, we will also address current legal and political challenges and obstacles that prevent worker cooperatives from delivering on their own democratizing goals. We will ask what systematic forces prevent worker cooperatives from establishing themselves as a more common form of organised economic activity, and how cooperatives can contribute to “greening” the economy.
More information and registration: https://www.nonextractivefuture.eu/2022/03/02/democratizingwork-webinar-series/
The recording in English is available on our Youtube page and below:
Webinar
“Labour precarity in the Netherlands”
Date: April 4, 2022
Time: 4.30pm-6pm (Amsterdam time)
Location: Online
Organizers: Dutch chapter of #DemocratizingWork
Speakers: Ronald Dekker (TNO), Valeria Pulignano (KU Leuven), Valeria Piro (University of Milano)
Over the last decades, the share of non-standard labour contracts (solo selfemployment, interim works, platform-mediated work, part-time work…) in the Dutch labour market has grown exponentially, allowing employers to hire and dismiss workers in highly flexible ways, shifting part of the entrepreneurial risks to them to substantially reduce the cost of labour. As a result, a large share of workers in The Netherlands are today employed under highly precarious conditions. They are much less protected than what they used to be under standard employment, in terms of wage guarantee, permanent employment and the social security protection that comes with it. In this webinar, we will examine the forms and prevalence of this widely precarious workforce in the Netherlands, its origins, historical evolution and consequences. We will then discuss possible responses to precarization in view of democratizing work and labour relations.
More information and registration: https://www.nonextractivefuture.eu/2022/03/02/democratizingwork-webinar-series/
The recording in English is available on our Youtube page and below:
Meeting the author
”Rights against the machine”
Date: March 2, 2022
Time: 7pm (Milan time)
Location: Piano Terra (Via federico Confaionieri 3, Milano)
Organizers: Piano Terra and Italian chapter of #DemocratizingWork
Speakers: Marco Marrone (University of Venice)
#DemocratizingWork Italia co-organizza il 2 marzo alle 19 l’incontro della rassegna di GigaWorkers e Deliverance Milano dedicato al libro "Rights Against The Machine" con l'autore Marco Marrone, ricercatore e attivista, membro di Riders Union Bologna
“I rider sono tra i primi ad aver contestato l’idea di una ‘digitalizzazione del tutto’ che veniva celebrata per le sue sorti progressive, mettendo a nudo non solo lo sfruttamento del lavoro di cui le piattaforme sono responsibili, ma anche i rischi che la loro crescita esponenziale comporta per i contesti in cui operano.“
19.00 Aperitivo
20.30 Presentazione con l’autore
No recording available.
Webinar
#DemocratizingWork. Dialogo con Isabelle Ferreras
Date: February 15, 2022
Time: 2.30pm-4pm (Rome time)
Location: online
Organizers: Italian chapter of #DemocratizingWork
Speakers: Paolo Borghi (Università degli Studi di Milano), Gianluca De Angelis (IRES Emilia Romagna - CGIL), Chiara Faini (Fondazione Innovazione Urbana), Francesca Martinelli (Fondazione Centro Studi Doc)
Il talk si terrà in lingua inglese con sottotitoli in italiano.
More information and registration: https://bit.ly/348UG8s
The recording in English with Italian subtitles is available on our Youtube page and below:
