The Open Library Economics (OLEcon) supports non-commercial Diamond Open Access for journals in economics and business studies. OLEcon offers support for setting up a sustainable alternative funding for your journal through a consortium of libraries.
OLEcon is an initiative of the ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
No fees for authors (article processing charges or APCs) and no fees for readers (paywall)
A service of the ZBW
15.12.2025
The deadline for applications from journals for OLEcon funding is February 27, 2026. You can find all further information here.
Mehr zu: New Round of applications for scholar-led Diamond Open Access journals
16.07.2025
Be part of the OLEcon consortium. Find out more and register your institution for the consortium in 2026. The deadline for registration is November 30th, 2025.
Mehr zu: New round of funding for 2026
31.05.2025
The round of applications for scholar-led Diamond Open Access journals has ended. In 2026 will start the next round of applications.
Mehr zu: Round of applications for scholar-led Diamond Open Access journals has ended
It means that the rights to a journal title and thus the decision-making authority on all matters regarding the journal rest with the editors. In some cases, the rights to a journal title are owned by a commercial publisher. OLEcon supports editors in the negotiations to regain these title rights.
With these goals, OLEcon puts into practice two key demands of current science policy:1. strengthening non-commercial infrastructures and2. Open Access without fees for researchers and readers.
OLEcon offers support for setting up a sustainable alternative funding for your journal through a consortium of libraries.
Open Access journals are more visible than journals behind paywalls. Articles can be linked or shared without access issues.
More and more research funding agencies demand that research findings resulting from their funding must be published in Open Access (see the initiative Plan S). An Open Access business model gives an advantage to journals in the competition for submissions.
Journals published in Diamond Open Access are more attractive for authors since they don’t have to pay article processing charges. This is also shown by the experience of Wirtschaftsdienst and Intereconomics (journals edited by the ZBW): page views and submissions increased after the change to Open Access.
OLEcon journals are scholar-led. Therefore, the editors can act and make decisions independently of commercial publishing houses.
