Devolving public duties: can the social economy fulfil social rights?

Abstract

This paper considers the implications for social rights when welfare provision is devolved from the state to the social economy. We bring together the idea of social rights as claims that entail institutionalised public duties, and that of the social economy as an institution for welfare provision based on voluntary, associational principles. After clarifying the tensions in rights provision within an associational framework, we argue that future research should consider how social economy organisations may shoulder collective duties independently, or how they could enhance social rights within the paradigm of the welfare state.