Shifting Paradigms; a statement that makes you immediately think of fundamental change. When looking at different economic phenomena, one cannot assess current or past events based solely on mainstream economics. This is where The Aberdeen Political Economy Group (APEG) and our upcoming third annual Shifting Paradigms conference comes into play. It would be impossible to learn about economics without the help of the studies politics, sociology and other academic perspectives and approaches. Our highly anticipated conference is set to take place from November 8th to November 10. This year we shall focus on discussing and resolving issues associated with our current economic system in a global and local context. We would like to introduce our brain child; “Shifting Paradigms 2019: Developing an Economy that works - How do we ensure well-being, achieve sustainable global growth, and overcome economic crises?"
This conference is organised by the students of the University of Aberdeen, under the umbrella of the Aberdeen Political Economy Group. By the end of this blogpost we really hope you have gotten to know a little bit about us, the committees that aim to make this phenomenal conference a reality!
Content committee
The content committee, the first of our four committees, and undeniably an important one. Their main job is to decide which direction we need to go in in terms of our topic and conference question. The first domino in our row of dominoes if you will.
Their job is to also come up with a schedule and pick which speakers we would like to attend. It’s safe to say that they get the job done with their incredible ideas and organizational skills.
The committee’s members have gained a lot of knowledge and skills throughout the process of planning this conference. With a task as complex as this one, if you can’t work well under pressure AND with a bunch of strong-minded people then you’re not cut out for the content committee. All of our attendees will definitely be able to see the diamonds that were created under such pressure.
Finance committee
Without financial management and organization, a conference such as this would be a mere dream. This is where the finance committee comes in. They’re basically our expert bankers. They arrange our budget, apply for grants and try to anticipate every penny that we need to raise or spend.
Grant applications are no walk in the park, so the finance committee has very successfully divided the workload among its members. We are very proud to announce that ‘Shifting Paradigms 2019’ has received enough support for the conference to become a reality!
The content committee folks aren’t the only ones benefiting from our organizational process. They too have the extraordinary ability to work as a team and perfect their division of labour. A skill that they’ll put to good use a future economists, bankers, politicians or whichever career path they choose to take.
Logistics committee
The logistics committee members are the conductors to our shifting paradigms orchestra. These skilled conductors are responsible for booking pretty much everything from venues to sorting out catering to booking transportation and accommodation for our speakers. Most importantly, they have a lot of control over our evening social. Here at ‘Shifting Paradigms’ we take our fun very seriously.
Our logistics team leaves nothing to chance, they assess all their options and always figure out the best way to plan out and organize our conference. Being surrounded by driven people and a great support system is a great recipe for a successful weekend conference!
Marketing committee
Last but certainly not least, we’d like to introduce our marketing committee. Our main goal is to raise awareness and get everyone hyped for our upcoming conference. We do everything from social media advertising to lecture shout-outs, handing out leaflets and writing up blog posts like this one. We’re also in charge of expertly designing the website, Facebook posts, and just basically keeping you updated on everything ‘Shifting Paradigms’. An undeniably crucial role if you ask us!
As the biggest committee on the Shifting Paradigms team our teamwork and communication skills are through the roof. We discuss ideas and get work done constantly through our group chat and our term-time meetings. We’re a group of very outgoing people which is handy since you’ll see us very soon in your classes giving lecture shout outs.
As you can see, we’re just one big family. We work well together, we respect each other’s opinions and ideas and we’re all experts at what we do. We hope this blogpost has given you a glimpse of our upcoming conference and hope you’re as excited as we are! We look forward to meeting you in November and if you want to keep up with our latest updates, as well as the ticket sales announcements, feel free to follow our Facebook page.
On behalf of the Shifting Paradigms 2019 Marketing Committee: Ivana Drdáková and Mariam Sherif
