The Next System and the Academy: Systemic Crises, Movements, and Change in the 2020s

From their invitation: A rising tide of community-based movements and initiatives offer the possibility that from this period of systemic decay may emerge a next system that is more democratic, sustainable, and just. Join us for a meaningful discussion among leading policymakers, innovators, community organizers, and academics working to prepare our society for a transition to a system that provides the best outcomes for all.  Our lives feel precarious. Many of us are anxious about the future. And our ability to respond effectively to the social, economic, political, climate, ecological, and human crises of these times is undermined by a widespread sense of crisis fatigue. Into this moment enters a new government in Washington that has promised to “Build Back Better.” But should we build back better only from what the last president called the “American carnage” of recent years, or must we also find ways to overcome the mounting crises of recent decades?

Featuring keynote U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (2nd CD, WI), Kali Akuno (Cooperation Jackson), Dr. Gar Alperovitz (Democracy Collaborative), Dr. Amy Best (George Mason University), Roberto Jesus Clack (Warehouse Workers for Justice), Dr. Diane Fujino (UC Santa Barbara), Dr. Ben Manski (George Mason University), and Mike Strode (U.S. Solidarity Economy Network).

This discussion is timely in part because George Mason University is now the first academic institution to offer courses, community-engaged research, and other programs in next system studies. Next system studies involve the study of next system design, systemic movements, and system change. Together we will move beyond identifying and critiquing problems. Join us.