Summer Academy for Plural Economics
The Plural Summer Academy (PLUSA): A week of intensive learning, debating and understanding. Your academic experience of the year.
Brought to you by Network for Pluralist Economics.
Do you think that our society faces daunting challenges and that these challenges need to be addressed on the level of the economy? Are you asking yourself how we can analyze, comprehend, and shape the economy? The economy is a multifaceted, highly complex process. Yet, mainstream economics is far too narrow and one-dimensional in its approach to grasp economic realities and offers little room for critical reflection. Our goal is to diversify economic teaching and research.
Every year we prepare an exciting program for you, consisting of workshops, open spaces and other events.
We will also inform you about this year's summer academy via social media and our newsletter!
Previous Summer Academies
Summer Academy for Pluralist Economics 2024: Overcome differences for EU climate action!
A group of eighteen international participants in Berlin this year engaged in our newly developed pluralist simulation game, "Readyfor55: Climate Policy on the Way to Climate Neutrality," tackling the political and economic challenges of a socio-ecological transformation. They took on roles from a variety of interest groups and, with the help of different schools of thought, developed solutions. The goal was to create a balanced package of measures for decarbonization that takes into account the interests of all stakeholders. The negotiations required a great deal of diplomacy from the participants and led to exciting negotiation outcomes and compromises. read more...
Summer Academy for Pluralist Economics 2023: Just Another Change?
We live in an age of fundamental change. Not least, the climate crisis has made this insight part of everyday experience worldwide. Customary practices and values of the economy and society are up to a test. Questions about change and continuity make crucial problems visible and provide orientation: What makes our economy tick, where do we want to go, what do we have to change, and how can we do it? What should stay, and what can go? Students, young academics and lecturers meet at the Summer Academy to discuss future models for economic science and economic and social policy. read more...
Summer Academy for Pluralist Economics 2022: Better Economics for a Better Future
Economic paradigms, penetrating deep into the policy sphere, shape the world we live in today. Moreover, they provide a compass that indicates the direction for the future trajectory of our individual lives, communities, and societies. In order to address today's diverse challenges, we need to reconfigure our compass. Based on a participative process, we ought to reevaluate the dirction into which we collectively want to head. Fortunately, economics is a discipline that offers a wide array of tools to analyze the status quo and its genesis, and to subsequently guide us onto a new, more sustainable and just, path. The Summer Academy invited its participants on a journey through the past and present of economic narratives, providing puzzle pieces for them to imagine and assemble a vision of the future. read more...
Summer Academy for Pluralist Economics 2021: Reimagining Economics
Do you think that our society faces daunting challenges and that these challenges need to be addressed on the level of the economy? Are you asking yourself how we can analyze, comprehend, and shape the economy? The economy is a multifaceted, highly complex process. Yet, mainstream economics is far too narrow and one-dimensional in its approach to grasp economic realities and offers little room for critical reflection. Our goal is to diversify economic teaching and research. We invite you to join us in this endeavor! read more...
Summer Academy for Pluralist Economics 2020: Mainstream Economics Sold Out?
Marked by the global corona virus pandemic this summer academy took place online. The circumstances have shown that economic policy catchwords like "lack of alternatives", "growth" or "the hard facts" don't work any more. Our answer: The economy is a multifaceted and complex phenomenon. The approaches of mainstream economics, however, are too limited and one-dimensional to fully comprehend it and offer little room for critical reflection. With our summer academy, the time has come to change this. read more...
Summer Academy for Pluralist Economics 2019: Economics in Transformation
Climate change, nationalism, poverty in old age, lack of equal opportunities: Why is the market economy not in a position to ensure both social balance and the protection of ecological livelihoods? It may be because of the neoclassical school, which is taught almost exclusively at the universities - and has thus determined economic policy for decades. In order to find sustainable concepts for the ecological-social transformation of society, more theoretical and methodological diversity in economics is necessary. read more...
Summer Academy for Pluralist Economics 2018: Ten Years after the Crash
On 15 September 2008, Lehman Brothers, one of the world's most influential investment banks, filed for bankruptcy and the world plunged into its worst economic crisis since the 1930s. Suddenly, economics came into the public spotlight: why didn't renowned economists recognize the devastating dynamics of the financial sector? Did economics play a part in the crisis with its support for crisis-ridden deregulation? read more...
Summer Academy for Pluralist Economics 2017: Exploring Economics
This summer academy is dedicated to the diversity of economic thinking. Many students ask themselves: Do I study economics or neoclassicism? And which theory schools are there apart from Neoclassicism? read more...