For this conference, the International Society for Ecological Economics has decided to innovate on various fronts. We are convinced that we can take advantage of the new information technologies and abilities that most of us had to acquire during the COVID-19 pandemic in remote communication and teaching. We can better use the available technologies for organizing in-person conferences, aiming to enhance the time we allocate to socialization and meaningful exchange. This effort is reflected in the conference’s structure, scope, and general approach.
We have opted for pre-recorded presentations, which we expect will radically change the type of interaction experienced during the in-person conference. Pre-recorded presentations will allow us to allocate considerably more time to questions and answers during the sessions, fostering the exchange of ideas and improving the discussions. We have also decided to diversify the modalities for academic and social interactions hosted by the conference, intending to go beyond conventional academic presentations. This is expected to enhance social interactions, broaden the reach and impact of the conference, and encourage the participation of people from outside academia. The following paragraphs summarize our vision:
We will launch two calls in a staggered two-stage process: the first will be a call for Tracks and Format-free Events, with tracks proposals divided between Regular Tracks and Special Tracks, which will then be followed by a second call for Abstracts (exclusively for the Regular Tracks).
Tracks are composed of sessions.
Below we explain the structure of each of these respective modalities.
This time division applies to both Regular Tracks and Special Tracks. A session is a joint in-person discussion of 1.5 hours. A session will be composed of a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 presentations (presented via pre-recorded videos uploaded to the conference website). Each presentation will have a maximum duration of 15 minutes. Each session will have two commentators (selected by the chairpersons). The role of the commentators is to briefly (in a 10 min slot) launch the discussion through general or specific comments about the concerned presentations and questions directed to the speakers. The commentators are expected to be selected among the speakers participating in the sessions of the track. The chairpersons will guide the discussion during the sessions and control the time. Q&A and a general discussion are expected to occur among speakers and other participants after the commentators’ initial (brief) interventions.
A regular track consists of a series of discussion sessions around a specific theme based on pre-recorded academic presentations. A regular track can have from 1 to 7 sessions. Up to 4 people will chair the regular tracks. Chairpersons will propose regular tracks (in response to the first call of the conference). The conference will launch a call for abstracts in March 2023 (second conference call), with the approved regular tracks as thematic lines for abstract submission. Proponents of abstracts will have to choose one of the accepted regular tracks to submit their abstracts. Therefore, regular tracks will guide the thematic division of the whole conference. Chairpersons will be in charge of accepting the submitted abstracts and organizing the sessions (allocating the abstracts to the sessions and deciding who will be the commentators). Each regular track will handle a maximum of 35 abstracts.
A special track has the same structure as a regular track (academic discussion consisting of up to 7 sessions). However, the difference is that the chairs pre-determine participants (there will be no separate call for abstracts). Therefore, during the submission of the call for special tracks, the proposal will indicate both the chairpersons and, for each presentation, a title, abstract, and speaker. This modality is meant for groups who want to meet around a specific theme and setting—for instance, a research or extension project or a network of researchers. Up to 4 people will chair a special track.
This modality consists of three sessions of 1.5 hours (4.5 hours in total), which will be held on the afternoon of the last day of the conference. The maximum number of organizers of format-free events is four people. Format-free events are meant to have a different structure from tracks and special tracks. Organizers of format-free events have a higher degree of freedom for deciding the format and content of these events compared to tracks. Format-free events include mini-courses, workshops, artistic expressions, round tables, debates, inter-sector dialogues, project meetings, etc. Though pre-recorded presentations for format-free events are possible, they are not needed.
The chairpersons are responsible for submitting proposals for tracks and format-free events. For tacks, the chairpersons responsibilities include approving abstracts, allocating presentations along the sessions, and selecting the commentators. For format-free events, the chairpersons will decide the format and execution of the event, including the invitation and mobilization of the participants. The chairpersons will work in a coordinated way with the organizing committee of the conference.
Track proposals will be reviewed by the Organizing Committee of the conference, which will also serve as the Scientific Committee of the conference. Decisions regarding the acceptance of Regular Tracks will be published on the conference’s website the first week of March 2023.
Accepted Regular Tracks will then constitute the structural basis for the conference’s general call for abstracts, which will be launched in March 2023 (the second call mentioned above). In this general call for abstracts, participants will be invited to register their abstract submissions under one of the accepted Regular Tracks, which will set the thematic structure of the conference.
Chairpersons of accepted Regular Tracks will oversee the review and acceptance of the abstracts submitted under their respective Regular Track, allocating the abstracts across sessions and designating commentators. Two commentators are to be designated per session, and these are expected to be selected from among the speakers participating in the Regular Track in question.
The conference Organizing Committee will provide technical and scientific support to Chairpersons in the abstract review process, in uploading the pre-recorded presentations to the conference website, and in the assignment of rooms at the main conference site. Each Regular Track will handle a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 35 papers.
The presentations must be recorded (following the instructions on the website) and submitted to the email indicated in the instructions. Also, please check our tips on how to record your video. The videos of the presentations will be available several weeks in advance of the conference, so all the participants will be able to watch them. The objective of having pre-recorded presentations is to maximize the time allocated to social interaction, Q&A, and general discussion during the in-person sessions.