The 10th CIRIEC International Research Conference on Social Economy will be held from 27-29 October 2025 in the city of Bordeaux, France, under the theme ‘The role of the Social and Solidarity Economy in the socio-ecological transition’. This event, to be held at Sciences Po Bordeaux, represents a key platform for academics, researchers and practitioners seeking to explore the impact and contributions of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) to contemporary major challenges.
Abstracts should be submitted by 31 January 2025 via the Oxford Abstracts platform. Proposals may be submitted in English, French or Spanish and should not be longer than 700 words, with 5 keywords and at least 5 bibliographical references.
The organising committee will notify acceptance of papers by 18 March 2025, and full papers must be submitted by 26 September 2025.
The 10th Conference is a significant milestone as it marks a decade of academic and professional collaboration around the study and promotion of the Social Economy, with academic participants from over 50 countries. This conference has established itself as a worldwide reference event, being a key space to discuss the challenges and opportunities of the sector in very dynamic and changing contexts.
Throughout its editions, the CIRIEC-International Conference has contributed to consolidate the concept of Social Economy and its recognition as the third major pillar of the economy, between the traditional public sector and the more purely capitalist private sector, with the capacity to meet the needs of billions of people and balance social, environmental and economic objectives.
On this occasion, the Bordeaux Conference will offer an interdisciplinary approach to analyse how the SSE can address the socio-ecological transition, an essentially transformation towards a fairer, greener and more inclusive economy. This event will also debate on the role of SSE as a driver of change, in pursuit of sustainable development that leaves no one behind.
The relevance of this approach is amplified in the context of the growing climate and social crises, where SSE is seen as an essential pillar for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Conference themes
CIRIEC-France and CIRIEC-International invite the presentation of papers and applied studies in line with the general theme of the congress and/or one of the following sub-themes:
- SSE statistics, reporting and measurement of social impact
- SSE and the green and energy sectors
- SSE territorial ecosystems and transition
- SSE identities, hybridisations and innovations
- Financing the SSE and its organisations
- SSE networks and public policies
- SSE, education and citizenship
- SSE, decent work and informal economy
- SSE, the fight against poverty and the care economy
- SSE and the agri-food sector
- Cooperative public services.
- SSE and intersectionality.
- Other related topics.
The largest academic event in the social economy
The International Research Conferences on Social Economy are therefore a consolidated initiative in the calendar of CIRIEC-International, which launched them 18 years ago, in 2007. They take place every two years (odd-numbered years), alternating with the CIRIEC International Congresses on public, social and cooperative economy (even-numbered years), such as the one held last October in Costa Rica.
Nine International Research Conference on Social Economy have been organised to date: the first in 2007 in Victoria (Canada), the second in 2009 in Östersund (Sweden), the third in 2011 in Valladolid (Spain), the fourth in 2013 in Antwerp (Belgium), the fifth in 2015 in Lisbon (Portugal), the sixth in 2017 in Manaus (Brazil), the seventh in 2019 in Bucharest (Romania), the eighth in September 2021 in Costa Rica, and the ninth in July 2023 in Seoul (South Korea), with a volume of participation of between 300 and 600 people at each edition.
More information about the Bordeaux Conference, registration details and guidelines for paper submissions can be found on the official website.
