Associativity in Alternative Economies, Key Factors to Generate Sustainable EPS in Ecuador

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Socio-economic systems worldwide suffer effects due to issues of capitalism, generating inequality gaps; Faced with these events, the associative Popular and Solidarity Economies (EPS) is a key tool for the sustainability of enterprises; same that reached relevance in the quarantine and states of exception (COVID-19), a large part of people had shortages before the closure of the commercial chains, the entrepreneurs, assuming risks and possible contagion, made possible the supply, of food, medicines and other products to homes. However, as the large stores began to open to the public, many businesses were disappearing. The present aims to analyze the key factors in the sustainability of enterprises, applying a methodology with a social hermeneutic approach, to analyze the behavior of entrepreneurs in the face of challenges, maintain a decent and supportive job. The results and discussion determine that associativity with innovative capacity, good governance, and social commitment, create sustainable business models and levels of competitiveness. Therefore, transformational leadership behaviors must coexist in cooperative and community enterprises, in order to adequately generate trade and fair prices. The current rulers, based on optimal social equity, must distribute resources so that the most disadvantaged sectors have the same opportunities for a healthy, productive life