Economics cycle

With its economics series, the Centre Marc Bloch takes an interdisciplinary approach to key societal issues. In contrast to a perspective that treats economic activities as an autonomous space, the work presented in the economics series aims to reconnect accumulation of capital and markets with their historicity, their embeddedness in societies, their interactions with regulatory institutions and their consequences for living and working conditions. The seminars, conferences and workshops address the issues of legitimising the political order, the dynamics of globalisation, the reshaping of social protection and, ultimately, the model of society and the future of democracy.

The themes of degrowth and post-growth are increasingly debated in the academic world. Research communities are studying them from a variety of theoretical perspectives and with a variety of objectives. To limit global warming and preserve planetary limits, an empirical consensus is emerging on the need for a significant decrease in the flow of materials extracted, circulated and discharged by economies, which is difficult to separate from a decrease in their GDPs.

A consequent stream of research exists on money and growth, but this literature focuses relatively little on the banking and financial sectors. Yet these sectors play a central role in the creation, destruction and circulation of currencies, which frame the possibility of climate policies (where to find the money? one of the answers lies in money creation, cf. the IRA in the USA). The institutions in these sectors, through their regulatory standards (capital investments according to risk levels) and business models (acceptable risk levels), constrain and direct the volumes of investments earmarked for "green" investments, for example in renewable energies, energy and resource-saving devices and technologies.

Banks are making "green" investments. These are monetary creations aimed at making activities more sustainable. The issue of transforming entire economies according to sustainability criteria is not currently considered by the banking and financial sector. The decline in the material flows of economies, for example, would be accompanied, depending on the sector, by a decline or growth in financing flows from banks and the finance sector. A number of questions can be formulated on the basis of these elements. For the banking and finance sector, they concern:

-the diagnosis of sustainability conditions in relation to material flows and GDP growth,

-the compatibility of sustainability with the business models and profit rates of the banking and financial sectors.

-the interweaving of the banking and financial sectors in the evolution of forms of capitalism "compatible" with the ecological transition.

-methodological and epistemological questions concerning the scientific, political and "future" character of forms of economic organization in the banking and financial sector, as called for by research currents on de/post-growth.

Organised by Ilias Naji

The concept of social innovation has become widely accepted over the last two decades in the context of the activities of the OECD and the European Union. While it is defined differently depending on context, many definitions contain a normative approach.

The workshop, which will take place from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. at the CMB, is dedicated to the topic of social innovation from the point of view of science and practice from a Franco-German and European perspective. Around ten academics and practitioners will discuss the topic in English. The workshop consists of a keynote speech and two discussion rounds. The keynote speech (Simone Baglione, Università di Parma) will open the topic with a comparative European approach by presenting the various definitions and measures to promote social innovation and setting out the conceptual framework. This will be followed by two discussion rounds on the topics of (i) social inclusion of people with disabilities and (ii) migration and the labour market.