Money and Democracy" to be followed by 'Market and Democracy'

After around 500 participants attended the pilot online course "Money and Democracy" in the first two sessions in 2021, the Academy of the Cooperative for the Common Good (GfG), the Pioneers of Change and I decided to repeat the course for the third time in the fall of 2022. The structure remained the same: ten input videos with an interview on the topic formed the basis, plus there was a live call in each session in which I discussed the topic with the participants for 1.5 hours. Once again, 110 interested people took up the offer.

In parallel, we developed the next course. Launching on February 13, 2023, "Market and Democracy. How we make ethical trade a reality." Here I will present the vision of ethical global trade in the usual combination with sovereign democracy.

→ Course website 'Market and Democracy'

Keynote at BAG

On the occasion of its 35th anniversary, the BAG Bankaktiengesellschaft in Hamm invited me to give the key note on the common good economy and a common good-oriented monetary and financial system. Afterwards, I discussed with board spokesman Rene Kunsleben, BVR board member Daniel Quinten and GLS board member Dirk Kannacher, among others, in front of an assembled group of bankers - BAG belongs to the Federal Association of Volks- und Raiffeisenbanken and manages non-performing loans from the sector.

→ Photos

ECGIC 2022

The second international scientific conference of the ECG movement - ECGIC22 - was hosted by the ECG Chair at the University of Valencia. About 70 participants*, mainly from Europe, Latin and North America, came together - fortunately many participants of the 1st conference in Bremen.

The opening event took place in the beautiful Paraninf Centre Cultural La Nau and was chaired by the President of the University, María Vicenta Mestre Eserivà, the Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Francese Alós Muñoz Murgui, the Minister of Sustainable Economy of the Region of Valencia, Rafael Climent González, who issued the first decree to promote the ECG model in practice, and Vanessa Campos from the ECG Chair at the University, who was the main organizer. I was privileged to deliver the opening keynote, "From GDP to the Common Good: Measuring Economic Success According to the Goal," which was a shift in focus within the ECG model from the micro to the macro level.

The sessions were devoted to a wide range of topics, from classic ECG content such as sustainability reporting and its policy implications to tax justice and public procurement. More specific topics such as gender diversity management, sustainable olive cultivation, Dona empren or Tractatus ethicus cyberneticus also enriched the program. The closing keynote was given by Katrin Muff from Rome Business School on "How to shift towards creating a positive impact".

One of the new ideas that emerged from the conference is a prototype ECG curriculum for undergraduate and graduate programs. Experts who would like to contribute to this project, please contact science@ecogood.org.

→ Program ECGIC22

PINE at International University of Córdoba, Argentina

ECG becomes member of EFRAG

The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) was mandated by the EU Commission to develop the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) for the EU Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). As it was a body with expertise in financial but not sustainability reporting, the EU Commission imposed governance reform and the inclusion of new members on EFRAG, some of whom are also represented in the working groups. ECG was accepted as one of 13 new members.

→ Report on Pressenza

Common Good product

After the focus of the Common Good Economy movement in the first years was on the Common Good Balance Sheet - increasingly also for communities and cities - we have now put a second focus on the macro level: with the Common Good Product or Gemeinwohl-Produkt. Last year, ECG already launched a campaign supported by many celebrities. In the meantime, I have written a book contribution in honor of Prof. Maximilian Gege (long-time chairman of B.A.U.M. e.V.), and completed the first policy paper of the ECG movement.

→ Website CF 

→ Press statement linking to the policy paper

→ Common Good Product 

360-Degree-Good-Economy-Forum

The ECG business network in Austria is taking shape, the first major public appearance took place as a 360-degree Good Economy Forum at the end of October in the Bildungshaus St. Virgil in Salzburg. Holz-100 entrepreneur Erwin Thoma from Goldegg opened with a captivating keynote: "In forestry and business management, the exact opposite was taught. Endless growth here, cyclical growth there. The only example of endless growth in nature is cancer. But the cancer cell is stopped very quickly by the collapse of the carrier system." I reported together with Walter Kern on the developments in the EU around CSRD, CSDDD and taxonomy. On the 2nd day, intensive exchanges took place in smaller workshops.

→ 360-Grad-Forum

ECG-Summit near Berlin

One month later, the highlight of the ECG year also took place in Germany. Michael Stober invited to the ECG 180 pioneer entrepreneurs, activists, sympathizers, scientists, journalists and guests accepted the invitation and listened to the contributions of Alma Spribille, Viola Gerlach, Vivian Dittmar, Prof. Patrick Velte and many others. The mood and atmosphere were perfect, the "ECG vibe" was palpable. No less than 38 ECG-balanced organizations were honored, among the laudators were Werner Schweizer (CDU), Bernd Lange (SPD) and Katharina Beck (Greens) and Sebastian Walter (LINKE).

→ Photos

Many new balances

The number of registered organizations with ECG balance has risen to over 1,000. Among the new additions in 2022 are the Berlin Trewtow-Köpenick Environmental and Nature Protection Office, Caritasverband Paderborn, Bäder München, Vereinigte Volksbank im Kreis Höxter, Hachenburger Brauerei in the Westerwald, Neumarkter Lammsbräu, Regensburg Tourismus GmbH, Stadtreinigung Hamburg, and Switzerland's first Gemeinwohl community: Eschlikon near Winterthur.

On my first trip to Holland in March, I attended the Building Better Business conference hosted by the City of Amsterdam. In April, I gave the keynote at the Economic Perspective of the Common Good conference at the Faculty of Economics, University of Split. In June, Rutger Bregman and I delivered keynotes at the Tinderbox Forum in Denmark. In August, I traveled to the first "World Ethic Forum" in Pontresina, Switzerland, where I met Vandana Shiva, Anders Wijkman, and Helmy Abouleish of Sekem, among others. In September, I delivered the keynote at the Intersection Conference in Stockholm. In October, the 2nd Holland trip brought me to the Sapiens event at VU Amsterdam. I gave the keynote and closed the day with a short dance performance. Finally, in November, I traveled to Egypt to visit Sekem and participate in the Future Economy Forum at Heliopolis University in Cairo. My part was to introduce ECG and create an overview of alternative economic enterprise and financial models - and metrics.

→ Building Better Business (Amsterdam)

→ Wat is welvaart nou echt?

→ Keynote at the University of Split

→ Photos of the Tinderbox Forum

→ Rutger Bregman at the Tinderbox Forum

→ World Ethic Forum website and photos

→ Photo with Anders Wijkman and Vandana Shiva

→ Photos with ECG Sweden

→ Sapiens Event at VU Amsterdam

→ Future Economy Forum (Egypt)

→ Photos of Sekem/Cairo (Eqypt) here and here

→ Overview of alternative economic, business and finance models 

→ Zukunft JETZT with Declaration 1 (January) and 2 (October)

→ Replica on the fact-check of Momentum-Insitute (May)

→ Report and video of the event at Volkskundemuseum

French and Japanese Editions of the Common Good Economy

In September, the new French edition of The Economy of the Common Good was published by the renowned scientific publisher Dunod under the title "Pour une économie du bien commun". This was followed in mid-December by the first Japanese edition in cooperation with the National Association of Small Business Entrepreneurs.

→ Dunod

→ Japanese edition

At the end of the Sapiens event at VU Amsterdam, I did a short dance performance with Mexican acroyogini Lorena Castro, which we rehearsed on the spot that same day. As a coping strategy for the next pandemic, we developed the recipe "One roll per day keeps the doctor away".

→ Performance

Own publishings

→ 24. 4. „Ein Weg zu ewigem Frieden“ (Wiener Zeitung)

→ 20. 6. „Was versteht ein ‚Ökonom‘ unter ‚Wirtschaftswachstum‘?“ (Die Presse)

→ 27. 11. „Wertebasierter Handel, aber richtig“ (taz)

→ 18. 11. „Nachfolger für das BIP gesucht“ (Tagesspiegel)

Interviews

→ 13. 1. „Die Welt gerät aus dem Gleichgewicht“ (NDR)

→ 14. 4. „Los gobiernos no tienen ninguna voluntad de controlar el poder de las grandes      corporaciones“ (ValenciaPlaza)

Articles and reports

→ 15. 5. Portrait in Tagesspiegel Background Sustainable finance