TOPIC

The production and consumption patterns of advanced capitalist economies are based on abundance and externalization. Instead of solving social and ecological problems, these challenges are spatially and temporally displaced and exacerbated. An economy that operates within planetary boundaries and meets human needs requires the development and dissemination of alternative economies that consciously position themselves outside the mainstream and as counter-models to dominant capitalist economic structures. 

Alternative economies are diverse: they encompass approaches such as post-growth, commoning, the solidarity economy, the economy for the common good, social entrepreneurship, and cooperative models. Their guiding principles are rooted in needs-based and communal economies, prioritizing sustainability ambitions over business management goals. Their economic practices and organizational forms are based on civil society values such as community, solidarity, cooperation, emancipation, the common good, and democracy. As experimental spaces for future-oriented economic models, they provide room to test innovative approaches that could over time become relevant for larger economic systems. 

The IÖW supports the development, consolidation, and scaling of alternative economies. In our projects, we work closely with pioneers in this field and critically and constructively examine both their potential and limitations. We conduct conceptual studies on the unique qualities of alternative economies and explore key areas of action and relevant actors through case studies – such as in the fields of solidarity-based agriculture, energy cooperatives, or platform cooperatives. We empirically assess their socio-ecological impacts and develop recommendations on how these approaches can be further developed and how actors can be supported. Our overarching goal is to bring viable approaches out of their niche in order to promote a more just, sustainable, and democratic economy. 

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