Abstract
This article analyzes the potential of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) to foster the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Local public policies play an important role in supporting both the SSE and SDGs. We select a case study of four SSE projects of a local development agency in the Basque Country, where the SSE has a considerable presence through diverse forms and experiences. We address how these projects, which are implemented in a coordinated and transversal manner, contribute to many specific targets within SDG goals number 8 (growth and decent work), 12 (sustainable consumption and production patterns), and 5 (gender equity). However, some limitations have also been identified: (i) trade-offs, in both SSE and SDGs, between economic growth and other aims centered on environmental sustainability; and (ii) avoidance of handling issues, which limits a systemic transformation.
Highlights
Since their approval in 2015 by the United Nations (UN), the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda have become a benchmark for public policy at different levels
We find industrial cooperatives from the traditional social economy oriented towards competitive market activities which mainly serve their members’ interest, and social enterprises that serve a broader community interest and are able to identify and serve new social needs [41,42,43,44]
Four SDGs can be highlighted in order of importance: numbers 8, 5, 12, and 2
Summary
Since their approval in 2015 by the United Nations (UN), the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda have become a benchmark for public policy at different levels. The SDGs present an interconnected list of goals aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet, and guaranteeing prosperity for all. They are not exempt from problems related to: their theoretical foundations; internal inconsistencies due to trade-offs between objectives; appropriate measurement of targets; and excessive orientation toward economic growth to the detriment of ecological sustainability [1,2,3,4]. Faced with the logic of capital and its accumulation, the SSE seeks to build relationships of production, distribution, consumption, and financing based on justice, cooperation, reciprocity, and mutual aid It is about placing people and their work at the center of the economic system, providing markets with an instrumental role in the well-being of all people and the expanded reproduction of life on the planet [6,7,8]
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