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Events & Reading Circle Spring 2026 – Purchasing power: money and politics in an era of inflation.
Welcome to this semester’s reading circle and events! Logistics: You can always just come by, even if you haven’t read all the articles and we discuss both in French and English.
Time: 6:30pm; Room at Uni Mail: TBD
Purchasing / Power – two words merged into one in a problematic unity, a ubiquitous but
ambiguous signifier. The English language renders its meaning undecidable. One possible
reading makes it “the power to purchase” a given thing. This power is analogous to that of
money – the power to appropriate the thing in itself, to make mine the object I need or
desire. It hints at the mediated character of subsistence in a capitalist mode of production,
in which monetary exchange is a necessary condition to access basic goods and services. It
also points at the centrality of money in the production and circulation process of capital, in
the displacement, appropriation or subsumption of living beings, people, spaces.
But another possible reading suggests a deeper meaning : “the act of purchasing as a
mean to obtain power”. The hierarchy of the words is now reversed. It is power that is being
purchased : purchasing now consists in a performance, that of consumers, consuming to
preserve, reproduce or extend their power. But what power? Political power it seems :
purchasing power (or lack thereof) appears in public debates as a fundamental component of
citizenship (or exclusion from citizenship). Those who experience hunger, poverty or lack in
a general sense can feel excluded from a full participation in the democratic mode of living.
But what is and what should be the extent of that power which they lack? Who is entitled to
receive it and who are the ones excluded from it? To what social struggles do these issues
give rise? How are they related to needs and are these needs easily defined or universal?
Our reading circle will try to approach some of these questions in the light of
current empirical and theoretical debates about inflation. The past six years have been
characterized by the return of inflation following the global Covid-19 pandemic and recent
macroeconomic instability. How can we, as political economists, study and explain these
phenomena? How can we engage with existing knowledge to reflect on the political and
ethical issues the current situation raises?
Lisa Adkins (2015), What can money do? Feminist theory in austere times. Discussion also in preparation for film screening the next day
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24571873?seq=1 / https://www.historicalmaterialism.org/figure/leopoldina-fortunati/
https://fifdh.org/festival/programme/2026/forum/quand-le-travail-gratuit-fait-greve
Meeting Point at Uni Mail Front entrance
Isabella Weber; Sellers’ Inflation, Profits, and Conflict: Why Can Large Firms Hike Prices in an Emergency?
Capital as Power (p.377-382) : https://bnarchives.net/id/eprint/259/2/20090522_nb_casp_full_indexed.pdf // Durand : Inflation as a real and monetary phenomenon PDF on the groupe.
Clara Mattei – Austerity as anti-democratic tool in italy | https://doi.org/10.1080/09672567.2017.1301510
Can local economies reempower people to become stewards of their economic situation? What are their possibilites and limitations on forming purchasing power? Link to the Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ4zwTJKYOg
Past Events 2025
Friday, 11th April 2025
Geneva, Switzerland
Funding the Ecological Transition
Financial, Monetary, and Fiscal Policy Approaches
The climate crisis is undeniable, yet the current political and economic frameworks—rooted in austerity and conventional market practices—are insufficient for an urgent ecological transition. Mainstream approaches often fall short, constrained by outdated paradigms and resistance to new ideas. This is surprising given the wealth of research and innovative solutions from academic institutions and organizations that propose alternative funding methods. These solutions often struggle for recognition because they challenge the status quo. Yet bold, unconventional ideas are essential in this global emergency to secure a sustainable, liveable future.
Many institutions, organizations and economists are already pushing these boundaries and developing progressive ideas for funding the transition. The challenge now is to connect these efforts, encourage collaboration, and amplify their impact. Students and young scientists play a crucial role as the next generation of economists, bridging academia and on-the-ground organizations. Their fresh perspectives and energy drive new ideas into action. In partnership with the Young Scholar Initiative, the Young Scholar Sessions provide a platform for students and PhD candidates to present their work and engage in discussions. By including topic experts, these sessions promote knowledge exchange across generations and between researchers and practitioners.
The “Rethinking Economics” conference aims to create a space to address this pressing crisis from different perspectives, share knowledge, and connect ideas. With the theme “How to Fund the Ecological Transition?”, the first edition of this conference will address one of the most pressing issues of our time. Taking place in Geneva – an international centre for politics, economics, and sustainability – the conference aims to bring together students, academics, institutions, and organizations to share approaches on how to fund such a transition.