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18th Conference of the International Association for the Economics of Participation (IAFEP)

The International Association for the Economics of Participation (IAFEP) gathers scholars dedicated to exploring the economics of democratic and participatory organizations, such as labor-managed firms, cooperatives and firms with broad-based employee share-ownership, profit sharing and worker participation schemes, as well as democratic nonprofit, community and social enterprises. The IAFEP Conferences, which take place every two years, provide an international forum for presentations and discussions of current research on the economics of participation.

Submissions for the 2016 conference, taking place in Copenhagen on July 7 and July 8, 2016, are invited from all relevant fields of study, including comparative economic systems, industrial and labor economics, organizational studies, management studies, institutional economics, evolutionary economics, development economics, sociology, psychology, political science, law, and philosophy. We also invite proposals for complete sessions.

Extended Abstracts (max. 1000 words) in English should be sent by e-mail to Aleksandra Gregorič ([email protected]) or Niels Mygind ([email protected]) by March 31, 2016.

Abstracts should include full details of institutional affiliations and e-mail addresses. Proposals for complete sessions should include a brief description of the theme of the session and an abstract for each paper.

Authors will be notified by April 30, 2016 whether their papers are accepted for presentation. Complete drafts should reach us by June 15, 2016 in order to be handed out to Conference participants.

Key themes:

  • The incidence of the different types of broad-based financial participation (employee ownership, profit sharing, stock options, and other forms of equity and profit participation) and decision-making participation of the employees (autonomous work teams, flat organizations, non-executive employees on the boards of directors, and other employee involvement processes)
  •  The effects of the various forms of workers’ financial and decision-making participation on firm performance (productivity, profitability, investment, and employment) and individual performance.
  • The effects of the various forms of financial and decision-making participation on worker outcomes (such as pay, job security, training, turnover, stress, satisfaction, loyalty, relations with management)
  • The specific characteristics of the employees involved in the financial and decision-making participation; the motives and drivers of the different types of employee participation
  • The relation of financial and decision-making participation to corporate social responsibility practices, corporate governance, and sustainability of political democracy
  • Worker-management relations and human resource practices in firms with financial and/or decision-making participation
  • Growth challenges and other challenges of transnational corporations using financial and/or decision-making participation
  • The creation, growth, survival, and stability of firms with financial and/or decision-making participation; the development and dynamics of financial and decision-making participation in firms with varying size, industry, knowledge intensity, employing specific social groups etc.
  • The social and economic history of financial and decision-making participation in different countries, industries, regions, and periods.
  • Sociological, psychological, political, legal, and philosophical issues relevant to financial and decision-making participation
  • The role of institutional and cultural settings for the implementation and impact of employee participation
  • Evolution and implications of financial and decision-making participation in industrialized, post-industrial, transition, and developing economies
  • Analysis of past, present, and proposed public policies on financial and decision-making participation

Horvat-Vanek Prize

The Horvat-Vanek prize is awarded every two years for a research paper of exceptional quality written by a young scholar in one of the areas of interest to IAFEP. The prize of a value of US$ 1,000 will be awarded during the conference. In order to be considered for the prize, researchers and doctoral students aged 35 or under should submit one research paper in English (maximum length 10,000 words) by May 15, 2016 to Aleksandra Gregorič ([email protected]) or Niels Mygind ([email protected]). Please, include your institutional affiliation and an abstract, and indicate clearly on the paper that you wish it to be considered for the Horvat-Vanek prize (the recipient will be requested to provide a passport or other official evidence of their date of birth in order to receive the prize).

Conference Dates

The conference will consist of two full day sessions on July 7 and July 8, 2016. On Saturday, July 9, 2016 we plan social events and a visit of a cohousing project. As a pre-conference event, we will have a PhD-student workshop on employee financial participation on Wednesday 6, 2016 (a separate call will be sent out shortly).

Registration and Accommodations

Detailed information on registration (including fees) and local accommodations will be available on the conference website in early April.

Participants from Developing and Transition Economies and Students.

A small amount of funding is available for participants from developing and transition economies and students. The researchers should clarity in the abstract submission whether they would like to be considered for financial support.

Upcoming events

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