Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie

Laboratory for new economic ideas

We stand for a new economy. An economy by all and for all, ecologically sound and socially just.

The Konzeptwerk is an independent, charitable association, founded in 2011.

We are convinced that the economy’s purpose is to make a good life possible for everyone. Our current economy misses this goal by far: It is undemocratic and unstable. It creates riches for the few, but exclusion and poverty for many. Environmental destruction further deepens these injustices and threatens our livelihoods.

So far, economic policies are dominated by the belief in economic growth, in competition instead of cooperation. This is mainly due to the differences in power between people, which lead to unequal possibilities to influence society. This way those who profit from the economic system can push through their interests against the needs of the majority.

In order to counter these injustices, a social-ecological transformation of the economy is urgently needed. There is no master plan for this: We understand ourselves as part of a movement which searches for many ways and combines them. The necessary changes are manifold and they mean a far-reaching reorientation of our ways of living.

The Konzeptwerk is an example of a new economy: We organize using grassroots democracy, use few resources and share all our publications free of charge.

 

There are many interesting approaches and tested alternatives to capitalism. We want to…

  • amplify the spaces in which such ideas are practiced and discussed – and show how different approaches can add to each other.
  • encourage people to take part in the social-ecological transformation of the economy.
  • change political conditions as well as ways of thinking and living. For this, in our work we combine education, social movements, alternative economic practices and science.

We concentrate on the following areas:

  • We connect different stakeholders, create alliances and develop projects together. Because changing the economy requires the cooperation of people and organizations with diverse backgrounds.
  • We want to strengthen change from below by collaborating with social movements, as we believe this to be the basis for a widespread change.
  • With our educational work we aim to get youths and adults interested in economic matters. We analyze economic, ecological and social developments and show that alternative economic practices already exist, which can be starting points for a broader transformation.
  • We are informed speakers on alternative economic concepts, especially for journalists and policy makers. We combine concepts from a wide range of debates from civil society and the scientific community.

Sorry, just this page...

We’re sorry we only have this landing page to offer in English. But we’re very friendly and speak English well, so please do get in touch. Some of us also speak fluent Spanish, others French.

 

Contact

Email: info [at] knoe.org

Telephone: +49 341 39281686

Postal address:
Konzeptwerk Neue Ökonomie e.V.
Klingenstr. 22
04229 Leipzig
Germany