Plural economy and solidary social economy: Discussing the concepts

This article presents this trajectory, starting from the work of Milton Santos on the circuits in the urban economics in the underdeveloped countries and their relation to the popular economy. We also discuss the solidarity economy, which originated within the framework of European associativism, and in Brazil assumes peculiar contours when focusing on self-managed collective production. Finally, we discuss how the current Latin American debate articulates the questioning of the market society and the proposition of an “other economy” focused on work and on the plurality of economic principles. In this sense, “social and solidarity economy” would be, in peripheral and in central countries, a set of initiatives oriented to an ideal economic system, to replace the “economy of capital”.

Implementing the SDGs in local contexts: overcoming methodological boundaries

The research suggests how the full potential of the enterprises and organizations of the Social and Solidarity Economy in promoting sustainable development may be better understood by representing cultural, social, economic, and environmental issues within an integrated analytical framework. On these premises, an extended version of Coraggio’s scheme (2015) is obtained by adding a fourth sector of economic activity, namely the global economy, as opposed to the popular economy. Looking at Coraggio’s integrated scheme, an additional institutional space related to the social and solidarity economy emerges, representing the field of digital solidarity and cooperation. Then, the research helps to clarify what a local context is and how it relates to the notion of place. Finally, the notion of place is contrasted with the notion of system, as the attractiveness of the former depends on its distinctive features, while the latter emphasizes the instrumental value of its elements.

Rethinking Working-class Politics: Organising Informal Workers in Argentina

Our article engages with discussions about the implications of precarious work and its impact on workers’ capacity to organise by analysing the case of Argentina’s Confederation of Popular Economy Workers (CTEP, Confederación de Trabajadores de la Economía Popular). The organisation was created in 2011 with the aim of representing a broad and heterogeneous group of workers in varying conditions of informality, precarious self-employment and workfare programmes. We trace the history of the organisation and analyse its development by focusing on the role of social assistance as a crucial expression of the changing relations between precarious workers and the state. Social assistance has provided some resources for addressing the reproduction needs of precarious workers and of the territories in which they live, and also the material means through which an organisation like CTEP has sought to consolidate its political work among precarious workers. Nonetheless, social assistance has also worked as a means to circumscribe broader demands for change into issues to be addressed through social policy. Our argument is that central to CTEP’s trajectory as an organisation of precarious workers was its attempt to break away from the narrow confines of social assistance, pushing for changes that would allow its members to gain some autonomy both materially and institutionally. KEYWORDS: Argentina; precarious worker organisations; CTEP; social assistance policy

PLANTAS ALIMENTÍCIAS NÃO-CONVENCIONAS (PANC) COMO ELEMENTO ENDOGENO DO DESENVOLVIMENTO LOCAL FUNDAMENTAL PARA O PROTAGONISMO DE UMA OUTRA ECONOMIA

A economia popular e solidária se opõe à superexploração do trabalho e à exploração dos recursos naturais efetivadas de maneira predatória como vem historicamente ocorrendo. Essa economia busca, entretanto, promover o desenvolvimento local e o crescimento socioeconômico em harmonia com proteção à natureza. A alimentação da humanidade atualmente se limita a apenas cerca de 110 espécies vegetais. Enquanto isso, muitas espécies ruderais, também consideradas invasoras ou pragas, além de importância ecológica, apresentam potencial alimentício, muitas vezes, já comprovado através de estudos. Em que pese a pouca divulgação desses dados, estima-se que o número dessas espécies possa chegar a 10.000. Nesse contexto, a presente pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar a relação entre a economia popular e solidária e as plantas alimentícias não convencionais (PANC) numa perspectiva do desenvolvimento local. Metodologicamente, adotamos a pesquisa-ação, inerente aos trabalhos orientados pelo Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisas em Economia Popular e Solidária e Desenvolvimento Local (GEPOSDEL), base dos trabalhos da Incubadora de Iniciativas de Economia Popular e Solidária da UEFS (IEPS-UEFS), articulada à disciplina Comercialização e Economia Solidária. Como resultados da pesquisa, inferimos que as PANC se consubstanciam como um dos principais elementos endógenos promissores do desenvolvimento local, elemento fundamental de uma outra economia, uma economia plural e protagonizada por pessoas, a economia popular e solidária. Abstract The popular and solidary economy goes against the overexploitation of work and the exploitation of natural resources carried out in a predatory way as it has been historically happening. This economy, however, seeks to promote local development and socioeconomic growth in harmony with nature preservation. The human diet is restricted to about 110 plant species. Meanwhile, many ruderal species, also considered invasive or pests have an ecological importance, as well as nutritional potential, which has already been proven through scientific studies. Despite the limited circulation of these data, it is estimated that the number of these species may reach 10,000. In this way, this research aims to analyze the relationship between the popular and solidary economy and non-conventional food plants (PANC) in a perspective of local development. To do so, we applied the action research methodology, essential to the work guided by the Group of Studies and Research in Solidary and Popular Economy and Local Development. (GEPOSDEL), which articulated to the discipline of Commercialization and Solidarity Economy, is the bases for the Popular and Solidarity Economy Initiatives Incubator of UEFS (IEPS-UEFS). As a result of the research, we infer that the PANCs are consubstantiated as one of the main promising endogenous elements of local development, a fundamental element of another economy, a plural economy and protagonized by people, the popular and solidary economy. Keywords: Popular and Solidarity Economy, Agriculture, Local development.

Recent evolution of the informal recycling sector in Argentina within the ‘popular economy’: Measuring its impact through a case study in Tandil (Buenos Aires)

The integration of the informal recycling sector into formal waste management systems is imperative to the implementation of the circular economy in the Global South. In Argentina, after the 2001 crisis, some large cities such as Buenos Aires greatly improved their informal recycling sector integration. In medium-size cities from the rest of the province, this was not the case. However, the formation of a national coalition between different sectors of what is now called the ‘popular economy’ forced the enactment, in the context of a new crisis, of a Social Emergency Law, which includes a Complementary Social Salary equivalent to half the minimum wage, among its main features. In this paper, we recap these recent changes and we use the InteRa framework in a case study to measure how, along with academic and civil society support actions, they influenced the informal recycling sector integration in an intermediate city of Buenos Aires province. Our results show that the inclusion of the informal recycling sector improved rapidly after the availability of the Complementary Social Salary. Nevertheless, we registered a hard-to-overcome stagnation in some indicators of the InteRa framework, related to the weak engagement of the local municipal government with the informal recycling sector. Importantly, the advent of the Complementary Social Salary was not reflected in any indicator because there is no specific action related to this aspect in the InteRa framework. This may give an insight into future methodology improvement.