Building A Coperative Economy: Lessons from the Black Experience

Abstract

organically out of the U.S. social fabric ? namely, the Community Development Corporation ? can play a role in promoting economic solidarity. In the second sentence they note: A community based eco? nomic development movement originally intended to foster economic development movement in central city ghettos and poor rural areas is now beginning to take hold wherever localities have been hit by prob? lems of economic decline. It is critical to note, however, that the organizational model upon which the CDC is based was developed indigenously in the black community. The thrust of this commentary is to demonstrate that an appropriate understanding of the underpinnings of the original CDC and its progeny sheds important insights concern? ing the subject matter of this conference. This is accomplished by first describing the community based organization which generated the CDC model. The linkage between this specific initiative and historical cooperative efforts by blacks to build an economic base embodying quasi solidaristic principles is then examined. The examination includes consideration of the similarities and differences between this historical movement and the Mondragon Movement in northern Spain. The potential of the CDC is then reconsidered from the vantage point of an expanded evaluative framework that takes into account contemporary economic development efforts by blacks. The overall exercise is designed to illustrate how social economists can refine notions of solidarity and social justice through detailed scrutiny of the black experience.