The Future of Work: Strategies, Contradictions, and Innovation
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 Date & Time: Wednesday 19th November 14.00-16.00
đ Location: CRL_2/05 Craiglockhart Campus
Event Overview
What will the future of work look like in the face of accelerating technological change, shifting institutions, and workersâ struggles to shape their organisations? This forum brings together leading international scholars to explore how labour, markets, and innovation collideâcreating both contradictions and opportunities.
Across two thought-provoking talks, we will explore:
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How workersâ collective strategies challenge and reshape organisations under pressure from capital and institutions.
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How long cycles of economic change, from steam power to artificial intelligence, have redefined labour and the structures of capitalism.
Together, these perspectives offer a fresh lens on the contested strategies and transformative forces that will shape the next stage of work and innovation.
The CBISS Research Forum is part of our mission to engage world-leading researchers here in Edinburgh, creating a space for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and cross-border collaboration. By connecting diverse perspectives, CBISS aims to spark innovative ideas and long-term research partnerships that address pressing global challenges.
Speakers
Jon Las Heras
Senior Lecturer, University of the Basque Country
PhD, University of Manchester | Research in Critical Management Studies, Labour Sociology, Industrial Relations
Senior Lecturer, University of the Basque Country
PhD, University of Manchester | Research in Critical Management Studies, Labour Sociology, Industrial Relations
Talk:Â A Future Without Conflict? Labourâs Strategies and the Contradictions of Work
Jon will examine how labour movementsâfrom cooperatives to trade unionsâstruggle to democratise production and representation while navigating the relentless discipline of markets and institutions. Drawing on his latest research, he argues that contradictions are not dysfunctions but the very terrain where workers forge strategies, test power, and reshape organisations.
Jon will examine how labour movementsâfrom cooperatives to trade unionsâstruggle to democratise production and representation while navigating the relentless discipline of markets and institutions. Drawing on his latest research, he argues that contradictions are not dysfunctions but the very terrain where workers forge strategies, test power, and reshape organisations.
Nikolaos Chatzarakis
Assistant Professor of Economics, The New School for Social Research (New York) & Trinity College Dublin
PhD in Political Economy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki | Author of Economic Growth and Long Cycles: A Classical Political Economy Approach (Routledge, 2024)
Assistant Professor of Economics, The New School for Social Research (New York) & Trinity College Dublin
PhD in Political Economy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki | Author of Economic Growth and Long Cycles: A Classical Political Economy Approach (Routledge, 2024)
Talk:Â A M-K-S Analysis of the Future of Work and Technology
Nikolaos takes the long view, tracing how innovationsâfrom the steam engine to AI and 3-D printingâhave repeatedly reshaped labour productivity and economic institutions. Using a Marx-Keynes-Schumpeter framework, he models the cycles of capitalism and asks: What might the next phase of development look like? What institutions and labour relations will define it?
Nikolaos takes the long view, tracing how innovationsâfrom the steam engine to AI and 3-D printingâhave repeatedly reshaped labour productivity and economic institutions. Using a Marx-Keynes-Schumpeter framework, he models the cycles of capitalism and asks: What might the next phase of development look like? What institutions and labour relations will define it?
Why Attend?
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Engage with leading voices on labour, innovation, and economic transformation.
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Gain insights into how contradictions, crises, and creativity shape the evolving world of work.
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Explore what the next era of capitalism might mean for organisations, workers, and societies.
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Join CBISS in building an international research community that drives collaboration, innovation, and impact.