Own this!

• Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies
• GGP: Global Governance Programme

Join Trebor Scholz who will examine a world which is changing dramatically as a result of the climate catastrophe, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the growing power and pervasiveness of big tech companies.

Join Trebor Scholz's presentation of his new book on "platform cooperativism," a broad movement toward an Internet where democratic ownership and decision-making by workers and users of digital platforms is the primary goal of business. 

In his presentation of his forthcoming book, Own This!, Trebor Scholz examines a world which is changing dramatically as a result of the climate catastrophe, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the growing power and pervasiveness of big tech companies. However, we lack concrete alternatives that would enable us to emerge from this crisis with a stronger commitment to equity, love, and solidarity. 

In his presentation he will offer insights into the global insurgency he dubbed "platform cooperativism". Scholz will take you to the south of India, where a digital cooperative of farmers brings their harvest directly to market; to Quebec, where a worker-owned and operated alternative to Uber is run on the blockchain; to Belgium, where artists benefit from a platform cooperative; and to Italy, where a short-term rental platform donates half of its profits to the communities in which it operates. Scholz has put together years of work with people from all over the world into this short and well-argued book that challenges theories that are taught in business schools and used in corporate boardrooms all over the world.