International Conference "Cooperative Responses to Global Challenges", 21st - 23rd March 2012 in Berlin (Call for papers until 23 september 2011)

Organized by the Humboldt-University Berlin and the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Confederation (DGRV). This conference brings together leading academics, practitioners, advisors, and political decision-makers. Our aim is to critically discuss, collect the evidence and demonstrate the capabilities of cooperatives to respond to global challenges. In the same vein, the event is meant to provide a problem-oriented interdisciplinary platform for setting the future research agenda in the field of cooperative studies beyond the year 2012. Conference themes tackle global challenges and related areas of research.

 Themes (preliminary selection):

• The role and performance of cooperatives in economic crises
• Cooperatives and SMEs development
• Cooperatives in poverty alleviation and micro-finance
• Cooperatives in rural service provision
• Cooperatives and producer organizations in the food value chain
• Approaches to cooperative start-ups
• Energy reform and energy cooperatives
• Cooperatives in environmental services
• Categorizing and theorizing cooperatives and the issue of governance
• Women and cooperatives -- a gender perspective
• Cooperative and the management of natural resources
• Policies promoting cooperatives
• Cooperatives in the classroom, capacity building and education
• Demographic change and cooperatives
• New types of cooperatives

Please visit our conference website: www.coopsyear.hu-berlin.de

Registrations are possible until the start of the conference. For "early bird" participation fees please register until December 15, 2011.

Call for papers