Increasingly questions are being raised about the way capitalism operates and how it impacts people, society and the planet. The past decades have observed rising inequality within countries, enormous concentration of wealth, falling rates of investment in the real economy and a declining labour share in most parts of the world. Much of these trends are due to a growing financialization of economic activity, focused on boosting share prices and increasing pay for executives rather than investing in the real economy and job creation. This is particularly problematic given the challenges the world faces as a consequence of climate change, and the resulting need for investments in sustainable forms of production. It has thus become imperative to explore alternative economic approaches that can create and shape an economic future that is more inclusive, innovative and sustainable for all.

Track II invites papers that bring in new thinking, approaches, and strategies at international, national or local levels that could shape a better economic future and ensure decent work for all. This track will address the following questions:

• How can we address financialization so that investment is directed towards long-term sustainable job creation in the real economy that generates decent work? How can we ensure full employment as a necessary condition for rethinking capitalism? How can the labour income share be increased?
• How can we change the national, regional and global business governance systems that ensures representation of different stakeholders, including workers or other mechanisms of corporate governance?
• What kind of fiscal and monetary policies are required to enable governments to finance sustainable investments that will generate decent work?
• How can new forms of technology be implemented in ways that would help rather than hinder the distribution of a fair share of income to workers and improvements in worker well-being?
• What kind of global governance system can we envisage that would reduce between-country inequalities and ensure fair working conditions for all workers across the globe?
• As oligopolistic power of corporations increases and in some cases exceeds that of nation states, what measures are needed to ensure that workers receive fair wages and quality jobs are created?  
• Given the global operations of many transnational companies, is there a need to redesign global tax and regulatory systems? How can tax systems be reshaped to ensure that tax revenues benefit the countries’ communities and workforces in which they operate and where their profits are generated?
• What measures are required to ensure that green policies are put in place at the firm, national and global level, which could potentially lead to creation of sustainable jobs?
• How can we rethink the role of the state in value creation through investment and innovation? What is the likely impact on the future of work?    

Track coordinators: Janine Berg, Gerhard Bosch, Virginia Doellgast, Daniel Kostzer, Uma Rani, Jill Rubery