Building the Community Economy: The Role of Management Studies

Community-based forms of organising are re-emerging as credible responses to societal grand challenges such as climate change, inequality, and the energy transition. Across political economy, transition studies, and related fields, the notion of a “community economy” highlights diverse forms of value creation, ownership, and exchange that move beyond market–state binaries and foreground collective agency and local embeddedness.

However, management scholarship has yet to fully engage with the organisational foundations, governance dynamics, and scaling trajectories of such initiatives. Greater attention is needed to understand how community-based organising challenges, extends, or reshapes dominant assumptions in management and organisation theory.

This two-day research development workshop invites papers that advance conversations in management and organisation studies on community economy and community enterprises as collectively governed, locally embedded, and purpose-driven forms of organising.

The workshop aims to strengthen theoretical positioning, sharpen conceptual contributions, and develop publication strategies aligned with leading outlets in management and organisation studies. Hosted by the ERC-funded SCENSUS research team at the Business-Society Management Department of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM), the workshop is sponsored by the Society for the Advancement of Management Studies (SAMS), the scholarly association behind the Journal of Management Studies.

We particularly encourage submissions from early-career scholars and researchers working across disciplinary boundaries who seek to engage management and organisation theory through community-based organising. The workshop supports scholars in developing theoretically grounded research with strong publication potential in management and organisation studies. Download the call for papers (pdf) for more information.

Submission deadline: 15 April 2026 (23:59 CET)

Distinguished contributors

The workshop brings together senior scholars who will contribute to plenary discussions and provide developmental feedback in paper sessions:

• Christopher Wickert, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
• Pilar Acosta, TBS Education
• Gorgi Krlev, ESCP Business School
• Pablo Muñoz, Durham University Business School

Workshop convener: Thomas Bauwens, Rotterdam School of Management

Workshop format

The program combines:

• an opening keynote and a keynote roundtable on positioning community economy research in management studies
• parallel paper development sessions in small groups, where each paper receives structured and focused feedback. Each session follows a 20-minute presentation and a 10-minute feedback conversation.
• a plenary session focused on publication strategy, reviewer expectations, and journal positioning

Participants benefit from:

• targeted feedback from senior scholars and peers
• guidance on strengthening theoretical contributions
• insights into publication strategies
• opportunities to build scholarly networks in this emerging research area.

Venue and logistics

The workshop will be held at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University in The Netherlands. There is no registration fee. Meals, coffee, and refreshments will be provided. Participants are expected to arrange their own travel and accommodation.

Doctoral bursaries (limited)

A limited number of doctoral bursaries (approx. €335) will be available to help offset travel and accommodation costs. Doctoral students who wish to be considered should include a brief justification in their submission (max. 200 words) explaining why financial support is needed and what costs it would cover. Bursaries will be allocated based on demonstrated need and available funds.