Special announcement
May 16, 2020 - May 16, 2025
Watch the celebration of the 5th Anniversary of the #DemocratizingWork Manifesto
Dear signatories of the #DemocratizingWork Manifesto,
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Five years ago, in the midst of the global pandemic, thousands of us came together to recognize workers’ existential investment in their work. With you, we released this op-ed in 27 languages to remind societies that if we wanted to express our gratitude to the essential workers in particular, and truly recognize workers’ investment in general, we needed to pursue the deployment of 3 historic principles: democratizing firms, decommodifying labor, and decarbonizing the planet. Exactly 5 years after the release of the op-ed, on May 16th, last Friday, we gathered online to mark the fifth anniversary of the release of the Democratizing Work Manifesto, assess the trajectory of our global initiative, and hear from you about our next steps together.
Thanks to all those who attended the meeting!
When we released the op-ed, we could never have suspected that we were about to develop a global initiative, which would release books in various languages, organize the first ever online Global Forum on #DemocratizingWork during 3 days with 3,000 attendees from around the globe, launch a #DW Global Workshop Series, see very active #DW National Chapters organize their own set of initiatives, set up our online sharing tool and newsletter for news to be shared across the global network, etc.
Hence, during the meeting, we looked back at the #DemocratizingWork trajectory, commented on its key developments since 2020, and highlighted hopeful developments, like the Expert Committee on Democracy at Work set up by the Spanish Government’s Ministry of Labor.
Next, we wanted to hear from the community of signatories! So we engaged in rich exchange during breakout sessions about the future of our initiative. What emerged was not only a sense of how far we’ve come, but also a shared clarity about the needs and work that lie ahead.
This is our next step: the #DW core group is going to carefully review the notes from the breakout sessions, which captured the insights, and diverse perspectives of our global community. In the coming months, the core group will reconvene to synthesize these contributions and shape a roadmap for the future. We look forward to sharing the outcomes with you and inviting your continued engagement!
One exciting initiative, deeply connected with our #DemocratizingWork Manifesto, is the launch at the end of this month of ASETT – the Arizmendiarrieta Social Economy Think Tank. We invite you to sign it and share it:
CALL TO ACTION
Social Economy: A Path to Climate and Social Justice
Rooted in Spain, home to the world-renowned Mondragon cooperative, ASETT is a new initiative dedicated to scaling up the social economy as a pathway to climate and social justice. On May 28,the ASETT Call to Action will be officially released. We hope that you will sign it in support!
ASETT ambitions to be a global hub accelerating the expansion of the social economy across Spain and Europe, and the world more globally.
We invite you to learn more about ASETT’s vision in its Call to Action: It is a call to action that echoes and deepens our shared commitment to democratizing work. As we mentioned at the end of the #DemocratizingWork Manifesto, the social economy already practices the 3 principles. It is a field of prefigurative practices –workers –and people centered, advancing democracy, and caring for our planet– that urgently needs to grow.
Read the Call to Action: https://www.asett.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/1129/2025/05/ASETT_CALL_TO_ACTION_ENGL.pdf
Please join us in signing the call: https://www.asett.org/en/form-call-to-action/
Learn more about the initiative: https://www.asett.org/en/call-to-action/
Thank you for being a part of this journey with us! Now more than ever, the world needs to democratize work, decommodify labor, and decarbonize the planet. Here's to the next chapter of democratizing work. Onward and upward!
The #DemocratizingWork Core Group,
Julie Battilana, Harvard University, Isabelle Ferreras, FNRS/University of Louvain-Harvard CLJE, Dominique Méda, University of Paris Dauphine PLS,
With Alyssa Battistoni, Barnard College, Julia Cagé, Sciences Po-Paris, Neera Chandhoke, University of Delhi, Lisa Herzog, University of Groningen, Imge Kaya-Sabanci, IE Business School, Madrid, Sara Lafuente Hernandez, University of Brussels-ETUI, Hélène Landemore, Yale University, Flavia Maximo, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Brazil, Pavlina R. Tcherneva, Bard College-Levy Economics Institute