| Quarterly Newsletter N° 11 | July - September 2007 |
PEKEA NEWSLETTER
IN THIS ISSUE (click on a heading to jump to that section) :
1- Editorial from our new elected President
2- The results of the 2007 General Assembly and the new board
3- Towards our 2008 Conference
4 - The negociated economy : a Scandinavian approach, by Klaus Nielsen
5 – Conferences, Publications, Websites
1- Editorial from our new elected President
Dear PEKEA members, Dear friends,
You have just elected me as President of your association for the next three years, and it is for me a great honour. I thank you for your confidence, and will do my best during this period.
During its four years of existence, PEKEA has specified the terms of its radical questioning of economic science. It is now time to disseminate and discuss its proposals, and rapidly define research topics to explore in priority. If the requirements in time and procedures of research activities must be respected, one cannot forget that the world continues to roll with the major flaws which we know.
The financial situation of PEKEA remains weak, and I will do my best to develop partnership agreements to alleviate this difficulty during my tenure.
I find the existence and operation of the « local governments club »a very rich and promising dimension of PEKEA activities, because local governments are those who are most aware of the inconsistencies and brutalities of the world in which we live.
I will give a special priority to the development of this dimension, especially in countries of the South.
I know I can count on each of you to implement this program, and I will call on you when I feel it is necessary. Do not hesitate to communicate with me on anything which you feel worthwhile. Yves Berthelot has agreed to continue to make us benefit from his talents and networks, and I want to thank him for that, and the excellent work he has accomplished during the last four years.
Yves Franchet
Return to the top
2- The results of the 2007 General Assembly and the new board
All members of the PEKEA network have been invited various times since the beginning of the year to join the NGO PEKEA, in order to participate to the General Assembly and to the elections.
During this Electronic General Assembly of PEKEA in July 2007, 210 people received the material to participate to it according to what had been mentioned in various mails we sent during the previous weeks to inform everyone.
As already written, we got no alternative proposition to the one that we have organised from the decisions taken at the Dakar General Assembly in December 2006.
The activity report and the financial report have been approved at unanimity less six votes from people who, explicitly, could not be reached. The board has been elected at the same rate, less one vote against.
You may read in this Newsletter n° 11, July – September 2007, an editorial from Yves Franchet, the President which we have elected. Yves Berthelot has been granted the title of Honorary President of PEKEA, he thanked all of us and said he will continue to work with us.
You may find below the list of the members of the Board following this election which ended on the 24th of July 2007.
President: Mr Franchet, Yves (Political Economy), France,
Vice President, Chair of the Scientific Board:
Mr Dos Santos, Theotonio (Political Economy), Brazil,
Treasurer: Ms Bénezech, Danièle, (Political Economy), France,
Executive Secretary: Mr Humbert, Marc (Political Economy), France
Ordinary members by alphabetical order
Ms Aneha, Aki, (Political Economy), Japan,
Ms Denegri, Marianela, (Psychology), Chile
Mr Fall, Abdou Salam, (Sociology), Dakar, Senegal
Mr Huvanandana, Om, (Management), Bangkok, Thailand
Mr Jessop, Bob, (Sociology), United Kingdom
Mr Maréchal, Gilles, (Activist), Rennes, France
Ms Mendell, Marguerite, (Political Economy), Canada
Mr Nze Nguema, Fidèle Pierre, (Sociology) Gabon
Mr Puthan Veetil, Rajagopal, (Activist), Dehli, India
Ms Wang, Wei, (Political Economy), Beijing, China
Mr Yvergniaux, Alain, (Citizen), Rennes, France
Return to the top
3- Towards our 2008 Conference
Towards our 2008 Conference
to launch a PEKEA Research Programme
These elections have been organised after the dissemination of remarks drawn from our first stage of existence which led us to make clearer the framework on which we may launch a PEKEA Research Programme.
Instead of dealing about economic activities as if there was simply a problem of relation between things, of circulation and circuits, we have decided to build theories and to do applied research with a radically different framework. We will consider economic activities as a complex set of relationships between people. Relationships between individuals, groups and collectives, each steeped in their own social history and who draw their resources from territories endowed with their own specific natural characteristics.
This is an ethical approach. To take into consideration relationships between people demands to care of others, that is to respect equal dignity for every person who, individually and in any group, has responsibility for achieving such types of relationships.
This is a political approach. Relationships between people must be explicitly organised with formal dispositions; citizenship shall ensure participation of everybody in the processes of decision making; loyalty shall secure that commitments between each other and from the collective for its members will be respected.
This is only a very general framework. Many available works, that have already been published either by colleagues from our network* or outside it, and also by our predecessors, fit in this general framework. However, they did not get from decision makers, the consideration they deserve as the dominant thought is far aside from this framework.
It is our task now to give them their full importance and consideration, to build new developments drawing on their results and to launch new research works to bring more knowledge in all the fields where it lacks so much : the world suffers, it is the evidence of the inadequacy of the past economic recipes used by national governments and international bodies as well.
Thus our 2008 conference will have to design the outline of a PEKEA research programme within this general framework. A call for propositions will be launched with the next Newsletter in October. To be sure, from now on, any suggestions and comments are welcome.
Marc Humbert
Executive Secretary
* A book is in preparation drawn in this perspective from all the contributions presented by the participants from our previous conferences. It will be available for this 2008 conference.
Return to the top
4 - The negociated economy : a Scandinavian approach, by Klaus Nielsen
Mental modes are formed by historical and geographical contexts. No doubt, the locations of the upbringing and adult life of an individual strongly influence his or her perceptions and ideas. Although neoclassical economics has an obvious homogenizing effect this is also the case for the identity of an individual trained as a social scientist and economist. For my part, growing up and living for most of my life in the economic and political context of a Scandinavian social democratic welfare state has strongly influenced my views and ideas as an economist. The comparative perspective developed through comparative studies and the experience of living for periods abroad has supplemented and further strengthened the identity forming role of the Scandinavian context of my social life experience.
Scandinavia, or in my case Denmark, is hardly heaven on earth. It is not difficult to identify areas in need of improvement and there are good reasons to be critical at many aspects of actual phenomena as well as current trends of development. Even so, it is a fact that does not escape any Scandinavian with a view on your own society enlightened by a comparative perspective that Scandinavia scores favourably on a lot of indicators.
[…]
Extract from :
INSTITUTIONAL ECONOMICS, SOCIAL CAPITAL AND THE NEGOTIATED ECONOMY – A SCANDINAVIAN APPROACH TO ECONOMIC THEORY
by Klaus NIELSEN, University of London, United Kingdom
Download the full text in English: Click here
Return to the top
5 – Conferences, Publications, Websites
Conferences
Observatoire de la Finance organizes in Krakow, Poland, 25 and 26 october 2007, in partnership with Jagiellonian University, University of Fribourg and Tischner European University, a scientific conference entitled Responsibility, Lobbying and Corruption: the role of large enterprises in democracy and society . Presentation, program, registration fees and details please : Click here
Les rencontres du Mauss (Mouvement Anti-Utilitariste dans les Sciences Sociales), notre partenaire, ont lieu, cette année, à Bayeux, du 14 au 16 septembre et portent sur la question : Anti-utilitarisme, illimitation et décroissance. Ce qui frappe aujourd’hui c’est que la démesure, l’illimitation du soi, du désir de puissance, d’enrichissement, sont devenues la norme centrale de notre monde. À moins de viser à être infiniment soi-même (Be yourself), à être soi-même le tout, on n’est rien. Ou bien peu de choses. C’est dans ce contexte très général qu’il faut resituer tous les débats sur le néolibéralisme, l’état actuel de la démocratie et la crise environnementale. Qui, tous, soulèvent la même question : comment maîtriser le désir de maîtrise des individus ou de l’espèce, comment lutter contre l’illimitation ?
Pour plus d’information Click here
Le séminaire sur la raison économique (SRE) se réunit une fois par mois à Lyon. Ce groupe comporte plusieurs membres du réseau PEKEA lié indirectement au groupe NPKB non formalisé sur la recherche de nouveaux processus de construction de connaissance.
Il a été lancé à l’initiative de l’Association lyonnaise d’éthique économique et sociale (ALEES) et de l’association Economie et Humanisme (EH). Il s’inscrit dans la problématique générale définie par la Fondation Charles Léopold Mayer pour le progrès de l’homme (FPH) dans sa note IRE : initiative internationale pour repenser l’économie (FPH, février 2006) ; il s’inscrit aussi dans l’un des champs ouverts par le Manifeste 2006 d’Économie et humanisme : Citoyens d’une humanité fragile.
Une note de présentation est disponible sur le site PEKEA : Click here
Publications
The PEKEA working group « NURR- New Urban-Rural Relationships» has just published in French a book with the following title L’Agriculture participative – dynamiques bretonnes de la vente directe – (Participatory Agriculture – Breton dynamics of direct sales) . It has set up also an action with the creation of a small network of associates – producers and consumers- to explore the spirit of the Japanese Teikei’s Le panier Hiroko to know more about both : Click here
To buy a copy, please order to CRCJR :Envoyer un e-mail à villecampagnebj@yahoo.fr with a cheque in Euros or download an order form from Click here
The Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University is pleased to announce the June 30, 2007 publication of Introducing Economics: A Critical Guide for Teaching by Mark H. Maier and Julie A. Nelson (M.E. Sharpe).
This guide for teachers is designed to help instructors counter the narrowness (and, often, right-wing bias) of many high school economics curriculum materials. Following the outline of a typical high school textbook, it gives a broader view of arguments on topics including consumption, labor, corporations, the environment, and globalization. In addition, the volume includes a history of the development of high school economics, a description of the competing schools of economics, critical commentary on each of the /Voluntary National Content Standards/ for economics, and an annotated guide to the major organizations involved in high school economics teaching. Additional resources related to teaching economics at the high school level can be found at the authors' website, Introducing Economics Click here
Web sites and newsletters
Notre partenaire le MAUSS (Mouvement Anti-Utilitariste dans les Sciences Sociales) vient d’ouvrir en français une version en ligne de la revue du Mauss Click here. Cette revue offre de nombreux articles et lance entre autre une discussion qui intéresse tous les Pékéistes, dans une rubrique intitulée « Vers une éthique mondiale » aller sur notre site: Click here
Ils ont également mis sur cet endroit un lien avec la charte de Alliance 21 de Pierre Calame.
Click here
INEES (Institut Européen de l’Economie Solidaire) Luxembourg-based network isues each month a newsletter that deals with a particular matter about the solidarity economy or/and presents some leader in the field or a noticeable event. PEKEA thanks INEES for publishing in its last Newsletter (May) an interview of its executive secretary, Marc Humbert . To access this newsletter, Click here
More information about INEES, go to its website Click here
El Observatorio Español de la Economía Social se crea en el seno de la asociación científica independiente CIRIEC-España, con el apoyo del Ministerio de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales y del Instituto Universitario de Economía Social y Cooperativa de la Universidad de Valencia (IUDESCOOP), de las entidades representativas y grupos empresariales de la Economía Social española y de la Red ENUIES de institutos y centros universitarios de investigación en Economía Social. Se concibe desde una perspectiva interdisciplinar y con objetivos múltiples: captación de datos dispersos, sistematización y difusión de los mismos en el entorno, evaluación de las políticas públicas e impacto de la Economía Social en la solución de problemas económicos y de significación social. Todos los esfuerzos del Observatorio están encaminados al progreso del conocimiento, que permita un mayor desarrollo de la Economía Social, de sus empresas y organizaciones y de los valores que le son propios de democracia, solidaridad, equidad, responsabilidad y vocación sociales. Para saber más, por favor consultar el sitio Internet Click here
Para leer la Revista Española de Economía Pública, Social y Cooperativa del CIRIEC, Click here
Notre collègue Madame Aminata Traoré , Coordinatrice du Forum pour un Autre Mali (FORAM), Directrice du Centre Amadou Hampâté BA (CAHBA), auteur de plusieurs ouvrages, entre autres « Le viol de l’imaginaire » (paru chez Actes-Sud/Fayard en 2001) et un ouvrage sur la politique française en Côte d’Ivoire et en Afrique : «Lettre au Président des Français» (chez Fayard en Avril 2005) essaie de faire entendre une réflexion approfondie, entre autres en réponse aux positions avancées par les responsables politiques français, sur les questions de l’immigration africaine ; on peut en lire des éléments facilement puisqu’elle vient d’ouvrir un blog sur Afriblog, vous pouvez le visiter en cliquant : Click here
Rinoceros, bibliothèque internationale pour un monde responsable et solidaire rattachée aux centres Ritimo est un espace internet qui diffuse des informations sur les initiatives citoyennes pour inventer une autre mondialisation, renforcer la démocratie, penser une science citoyenne, créer une économie au service des hommes, etc. Son site, comme les textes qu’elle diffuse peuvent être en trois langues : français, anglais, et espagnol. Il est possible de s’y inscrire et d’y envoyer des documents. Pour y accéder, Click here
Informations
Mr Hakim Ben Hammouda , the Director of the Trade, Finance and Economic Development Division (TFED) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) received the 2007 Alan Powell Award , one of the most prestigious in the area of global trade research. Mr. Ben Hammouda was presented the award at the occasion of the tenth Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis held from 7 to 9 June 2007 on the campus of the Purdue University (USA) under the auspices of the Center for Global Trade Analysis. Read more : Click here
Return to the top
| PEKEA President: Yves FRANCHET yves.franchet@wanadoo.fr Executive Secretary: Marc HUMBERT Marc.Humbert@univ-rennes1.fr Scientific VPdt : Theotonio DOS SANTOS theotoni@terra.com.br Treasurer: Danièle BENEZECH daniele.benezech@univ-rennes1.fr |
PEKEA Newsletter Chief editor : Robert Frouville |