The Mataró technology park, TecnoCampus, is hosting this coming week the XIX International Congress of Researchers in Social and Cooperative Economy. The event that bears the title The role of the Social Economy in a scenario of crisis and uncertainty will be held between April 16 and 21.
The symposium was promoted by the Spanish section of the Center for International Research and Information on Public, Social and Cooperative Economy (CIRIEC-España), the Roca i Galès Foundation and the Social Economy Chair of TecnoCampus.
“For us, being able to organize a congress like this is a great satisfaction and opportunity, since during the three days that the event is held, it will allow us to be the nerve center of research on the social economy in Spain,” explains Eloi Serrano, director of the Chair of Social Economy of TecnoCampus and president of the scientific commission of the congress.
The congress will bring together around 150 academics from 12 different countries whose objective will be to debate and give visibility to the research carried out throughout the world on the social economy. “In a context of crisis, it is necessary to highlight a discipline that represents 10% of Spain’s GDP and that is an alternative theoretical model to neoliberal economicsâ€, explains the director of the TecnoCampus Social Economics Chair.
In addition to the researchers, three major political figures will attend the congress, such as the Minister of Universities of Spain, Joan Subirats; the Minister of Social Rights of the Generalitat, Carles Campuzano; and the mayor of Mataró, David Bote.
Personalities from the world of academia will also attend, such as the chancellor of Pompeu Fabra University, Laia de Nadal; or from the social economy world such as Guillem Llorens, president of the Social Economy Association of Catalonia (AESCAT); Josep Vidal, director general of Social Economy and the Generalitat de Catalunya, and José LuÃs Monzón, director of CIRIEC-España.
All of them will give various presentations on the social economy and its link with the academic world. However, the inaugural conference will be held by the Minister of Universities of the Government of Spain who will speak about the inclusion of the Social Economy in universities through the Organic Law of the University System (LOSU).
“For us it is an honor to have a speaker like Joan Subirats, since in addition to being Minister of Universities of Spain, he is a great academic and an authoritative voice in the world of the social economyâ€, stated Eloi Serrano. And he adds: “No one has done more than him for this specialty. In addition to including it in the university system, he promoted it when he was the Institut de Govern i PolÃtiques Publiques (IGOP) at the UAB, when he was a professor â€.
The congress will be structured into nine general workshops and thirteen thematic workshops where more than a hundred communications will be presented. Likewise, four prizes will be awarded, divided equally between the best papers and the most original doctoral theses defended during the last five years.
“From TecnoCampus we are very happy to be able to host the XIX International Congress of Researchers in Social and Cooperative Economy, since we will contribute to the scientific development of a new economic model, which we hope, sooner or later will have a positive impact both in Catalonia and in the region del Maresmeâ€, concludes Eloi Serrano, director of the Chair in Social Economy at TecnoCampus.
