The 4th Conference on Good Economy lasted for three full days with many lectures, open discussions and one practical workshop. There were almost 200 people participating at the conference, with ZMAG members, conference guests and speakers, journalist and partners, as well as 140 paying participants – making it the biggest event of that kind in Croatia open to everyone. At the conference, there were many guests from the Balkan region and 11 international keynote speakers. Besides the main program, we also organised one practical workshop about bio-architecture at our place, the Educational Eco-social centre Recycled Estate.\u00a0Likewise, as every year, we published a new report “Good Economy in Good Stories” with nine new best case practices from Croatia.<\/p>\n
Main topics of this year’s conference were in line with the current trends in Croatia: \u201ccollaborative economy\u201d practices, the concept of an \u201copen factory\u201d owned by its workers, ecological social enterprises, hotels run by former immigrants and refugees, inspiring examples of participatory governance within the city as a commons concept, and platform cooperativism \u2013 a movement for democratic governance, collective ownership, and a fairer future work sector, based on the rich tradition of cooperatives and new technologies of the 21st century.<\/p>\n
The Conference once more positioned itself as a central place for the gathering, sharing, collaboration among all interested in solidarity and good economy models. It is well worthy to mention how people from other cities in Croatia and from the Balkans region have attended in higher numbers every year.<\/p>\n
The Good Economy Conference doesn\u2019t have only the goal to inform and gather people, but also to emphasize practical solutions to everyday problems or challenges by ordinary citizens.<\/p>\n
In fact, more than any previous edition, this year the number of \u201cordinary citizens\u201d was significant: people who consider the Conference as it wants to be: open to anyone who is interesting in a “good economy”. With that impact, the event not only fulfilled the usual task of connecting the \u201cusual suspects\u201d in one place, but became a space for actors that are not currently part of the scene to be informed and educated, and to meet up with new people and future partners.<\/p>\n