Our goal is to make the economy sustainable so that it can meet the needs of all people, while respecting ecological limits. We are working on transformative concepts that foster system change. Our name, NELA. Next Economy Lab, reflects our approach: we focus on action and learning through experimentation. Our work focuses on people who want to make a difference – in trade unions, companies, and local communities. This is where we step in and offer our support.

We are guided by Kate Raworth’s concept of the doughnut economy.

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The cornerstones of this Next Economy
Growth independence, sufficiency, cooperation and democracy in action

1. We bring forward economic ideas that are based on independence from growth.
2. We apply sufficiency to develop practical, hands-on strategies for implementing a Next Economy.
3. In our external work, we are committed to cooperative business practices.
4. In our work, we prioritise approaches that foster democratic practices as well as the participation and cooperation of employees and citizens. We also implement democratic principles internally in the organisation’s structures and collegial management.

Fears and conflicts on the path to a Next Economy arise ‘on the ground’ – that is, where people meet, where they work, live, or engage in politics. ‘On the ground’ is where people experience change concretely, but also where they can actively shape it.

1. We show what a Next Economy can look like in practice.
2. We strengthen transformation skills through transformative education.
3. We form new alliances.

We are convinced that people can only develop their full potential if they pursue meaningful work that motivates them intrinsically. NELA sees itself as a collegial circle organisation , meaning we organize ourselves in different circles with clear responsibilities and decision-making powers. We are guided by the principles of collegial leadership according to Bernd Österreich and Claudia Schröder: collegial leadership is leadership work that is distributed dynamically and decentralised among many colleagues. This is in contrast to classical, centralised leadership models, where organisations are run by a few exclusive managers.

Our Financing

NELA. Next Economy Lab is largely financed through projects grants. We are grateful for the support of foundations and public funds, which enable us to work towards a sustainable economy.

We also offer consulting services, workshops, and process support. Here, we work together with various companies, administrations, local policy, and civil society.

We also welcome donations. If you would like to support our work, you can use the following account details to make a transfer (please provide your contact details if you would like a donation receipt!):

Account holder: NELA e.V.
IBAN: DE49 4306 0967 4123 0734 00
BIC: GENODEM1GLS
Reference: Donation