Annual Governance Agora Workshop 2024

Critical and Alternative Thinking in Governance (CATG) AGORA Workshop

20-21 June 2024 – Barcelona, Spain

With the collaboration of ISC Paris

Re-searching, Re-teaching, Re-practicing Governance: Toward a new paradigm for ‘Buen vivir’ and Sustainability

CALL FOR PAPERS

From the mid 1980s, academics, practitioners and policy makers have failed, collectively, to address the issues of the limits of resources and the boundaries of the planet, including climate change, world inequalities, and social tensions. While an enormous effort has been made to introduce more ethics, sustainable development, and sustainability in the social sciences, and more particularly in organization sciences/studies, we consider that much of this work, while certainly useful, is insufficient to bring about the paradigmatic bifurcation needed to nurture “good living”. The latter concept represents the translation of “sumak kawsay,” a social philosophy deeply ingrained in the cosmovision of the Quechua peoples of the Andes. Frequently denoted by its Spanish term “buen vivir,” it represents a multifaceted approach defined by an emphasis on community, ecological harmony, and cultural awareness, as articulated by Eduardo Gudynas. Gudynas contends that any departure from conventional development should offer avenues to transcend modern Western culture, and Buen Vivir presents that prospect.

We hold that much of our thinking is still trapped in the “iron cage” frameworks of mass consumption and individual material accumulation. An increasing number of philosophers and scientists have criticized this paradigm and offer various theoretical tools to move forward though a bifurcation that re-situates the economy as a means for ‘collective wealth’ and social progress, rather than as an end in itself. A new paradigm is proposed that places the planet, living beings and ecosystems, humans, and societies at the centre of decision-making priorities, both for business and policymaking.

Neither the ideas of degrowth and the de-globalisation movement, nor transhumanism and the colonisation of other planets can be relied upon to safeguard life on Earth.

This call aligns with existing, but marginalized, thinking based on or inspired by scholars and philosophers such as Eduardo Gudynas, Arne Naes, Bruno Latour, Boaventura de

Sousa Santos, Bernard Stigler, Felix Guattari, Caroline Merchant, Enriqué Dussel, and many other thinkers who have challenged our way of living and called for rising to the challenge of maintaining lives, ecosystems, and life on our planet.

Re-thinking, Re-learning, and Re-applying Governance for Planetary Well-being together.

We invite scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to join and submit their thinking on issues like:

• Redefining the value concept in economics and management to better capture wellbeing
• Preserving the oceans from human damage, through new models of governance and justice
• Regenerating natural resources through transforming corporate and business strategies
• National and organizational balance-sheet reporting on nature and the planet.
• Eradicating poverty, inequities, and inequalities among and within nations through better articulation of local-national-global governance
• Promoting healthcare and education facilities and programs through new financing and investment schemes

These are a few among many issues humanity is facing – the window for new thinking is open – and this workshop is an invitation to engage with challenging ideas, theories, and models.

Complete program

Scientific Committee

Xavier Castañer	HEC Lausanne, Switzerland
Thomas Clarke	University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
Coral Ingley	AUT University, New Zealand
Morten Huse	BI Norwegian Business School, Norway
Silke Machold	University of Wolverhampton Business School, UK
Sabina Nielsen	Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
Sibel Yamak	University of Wolverhampton Business School, UK
Anderson Seny Kan	Grenoble Ecole de Management, France

Important dates

• Research symposium: 20-21 June 2024
• Deadline for submission of CAAG 10-page proposals: 20th April 2024
• Notification of acceptance: 22 April 2024
• Deadline for CAAG full-text submission: 26 May 2024
• Early bird/author registration: 19 June 2024
• Format: Hybrid

Symposium fees

IN SITU	Symposium fees* in euros (VAT incl.
Academic Fees ( 10 June 2024 onwards)	€250
Academic On-site Registration Fees	€350
(PhD) Student Reduction	€125
Practitioners First-Day Fees	€70
Practitioners Second Day Fees	€50
Practitioners 2-day Fees	€100

* Symposium fees include documentation, coffee breaks, lunch, and gala dinner.

DIGITAL	Symposium fees* in euros (VAT incl.
Regular Fee (19 June 2024 onwards)	€40
(PhD ) Student Reduction	Free
Practitioners 2-day Fees	Free

* Symposium fees include: documentation, Zoom access to the symposium.

Organizing Committee

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For further information, please contact: workshop@tbs-education.es

Submissions should be sent to: workshop@tbs-education.es