Yochai Benkler of Harvard University has consented to be the keynote speaker at “Towards 2020” the Global Conference of the International Co-operative Alliance to take place in Antalya, Turkey, according to an Alliance release. The theme of Mr Benkler’s address is “The role of commons and co-operation in the marketplace”
Benkler is the Berkman Professor of Entrepreneurial Legal Studies at Harvard Law School, and faculty co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. His book “The Wealth of Networks: How social production transforms markets and freedom” has won many academic awards.
The International Co-operative Alliance’s Committee on Co-operative Research (ICA CCR) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) will host a research conference from 9 to 10 November 2015 in Antalya, Turkey, as part of the Alliance’s 2015 global conference.
A welcome reception for attendants will be held on November 8th. The conference will bring together researchers, students, practitioners, advocates, policy makers and representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations working in areas of cooperative enterprises and social and solidarity economy organizations, as well as labour research and themes related to the world of work.
The Alliance has invited international thought leaders to speak at its Conference. There will be four plenary sessions to discuss crosscutting issues, including Co-operative Identity, and four breakout sessions, each relating to one the pillars of the Blueprint (Sustainability, Participation, Legal Frameworks and Capital).
The International Co-operative Alliance’s Global Conference will be an opportunity to do stocktaking of the achievements but also the important challenges ahead in delivering the goals set out in the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade.