James Macumber

Small Group Project 2026-27

Planning with Machines: Historical Technologies, Futures of Calculation, and the Political Economy of Planning

With Eleni Papagiannaki & Vinit Ravishankar & Dominique Arsenault & Sascha Gander

This project investigates how empirical and historical planning experiments are shaped and constrained by the technologies available for economic calculation, coordination, and control. Rather than treating planning as a purely theoretical or institutional problem (Groos& Sorg Eds. 2025), the project examines planning as it was actually practised, mediated by concrete technologies such as early input–output (I-O) tables, statistical systems, cybernetic models, analogue and early digital computing, and logistics architectures developed in both civilian and crisis contexts.

More information

Areas of interest

Political Economy Econometrics

Cohort

FG12

Biography

James Macumber is currently pursuing an MA in Global Political Economy & Development at Universität Kassel, having previously completed an MSc in Economic Behaviour and Governance with a quantitative thesis on survey design and inflation forecasting. His academic background combines econometrics, experimental methods, and industrial dynamics with political economy and psychology, giving him a strong interdisciplinary profile. Among James’s other professional activities in Kassel, he has worked at the International Center for Higher Education Research (INCHER) on the construction of an algorithm to analyse a novel dataset compiled for the project. As an Administrative Staff Member at the International Network for Democratic Economic Planning (INDEP), he has actively contributed to building international research partnerships, organising high-level lectures and events, and expanding academic and policy networks. His recent presentation on “Lessons of Cybernetics for Democratic Economic Planning” reflects substantive engagement with contemporary debates on planning, digital coordination, and governance.

Biographical details correct as of 13.09.26