Solidarity Economy Organizations Research Articles

Contribution of community-based companies to sovereignty and food security in the Central Highlands of Ecuador

Popular and solidarity economy (PSE) organizations number around 5,280 throughout Ecuador, with the participation of 153,390 registered members. However, only 1.02% of these companies are community-based and operate in the food production and processing sector. This research aimed to determine the contribution of community-based companies (CBCs) to food sovereignty in the province of Tungurahua, using a mixed methodology including the use of interviews and surveys. The qualitative analysis integrated data on the features of this sector to observe their relationship with social, environmental, and economic dimensions using the RQDA package in R Studio. The results show that CBCs contribute to food sovereignty by adding value to locally produced products relevant to local traditions and culture. The social and environmental contributions of CBCs play a part in rural development. Thus, the promotion of CBCs in food production represents a mechanism through which to strengthen food sovereignty and preserve food production relevant to the local culture in these areas.

Value Addition to Sustainable Economic Growth of Sub-Sahara Africa: The Path of Social and Solidarity Economy

The recent global economic and political unrest, depletion of natural resources, climate and ecosystem changes, destructions, the impact of prolonged Covid-19, widening social equality and income losses and economic contraction have greatly affected sub-Saharan Africa, thereby exacerbating the preexisting vulnerabilities in the region. It becomes evident to confirm the necessity for a complementary development model for growth to improve production, governance, overall social wellbeing of the people, and the environment of the region. Hence, the strong advocate for the path of Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) organizations which is and has been a “bottom-up" strategic collective initiative with local roots, which support efforts for transformative and social innovation. This no doubt adds greater value to the sustainable economic growth of the region in comparison to other climes.

Value-Based Governance as a Performance Element in Social and Solidarity Economy Organizations: A French Sustainable Post-Modern Proposal

This article offers a general reflection on governance and managerial practices within a Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) and suggests that in a time of profound socioeconomic change, it is in SSE companies’ interest to establish global sustainable governance and responsible team management systems consistent with both the values structuring this domain as well as employee aspirations. This a French point of view with a sustainable dimension based on a literature review and on several published studies but not on an empirical approach. In a way it is an essay more than a demonstration. It is a proposal which could lead to methodological work. Here is a first step.

Social Utility as a determinant of the performance of social and solidarity economy organizations: Case of the Tarek Ben Ziad association- Morocco

result of a convergence of the practices of these organizations in their daily activities. Historically, SSE players have always been looking for performance, whether through the development of their statutes or through the meaning they gave to their social purpose and social utility. It is not adequate to measure the performance of these actors by traditional criteria alone. However, with the criteria of social utility, these actors can assert and justify their performance to all stakeholders, including donors, Associations constitute the major component of the SSE. Currently, they are increasingly questioned about their legitimacy to respond, in a specific and relevant way, to collective needs and / or to missions of general interest. This is why they must adopt a process of evaluation of their social utility (SU) allowing the demonstration of their performance. In an approach to contextualize the criteria of social utility proposed by Jean Gadrey (2004), we are carrying out an empirical study via a qualitative approach carried out according to a case study of one of the most important associations in the Souss Massa region to show how does the social utility contribute to performance measurement? The objective is to measure and analyze the performance of the Tarek Ibn Ziad association located in Chtouka Ait Baha Province. The results of our study confirm the close relationship between performance and the social usefulness of the association in that the criteria of the SU significantly contribute to the measurement of performance.

The impact of human capital in determining cooperative strategies—the case of cooperatives in the Souss-Massa region, Morocco

The question of the importance of the social and solidarity economy is important, not only in Morocco, but everywhere in the world. It is within this framework that we have tried to determine the impact of human capital on social and solidarity economy organizations, and more precisely on the strategies adopted by cooperatives, indeed, human capital plays an essential role, by improving innovation, by creating the preconditions for the growth of organizations, and above all by tackling good strategic planning. In this perspective, the objective of this research and to emphasize the link between the level of education and the strategy adopted by the cooperative. In this work, we have tried to statistically analyze the data collected from cooperatives in order to answer our problem, using several tools, such as: factor analysis and discriminant analysis.

Confidence in the Inter-organizational Cooperation of Social and Solidarity Economy Organizations

Today, we are witnessing a growing enthusiasm for inter-organizational cooperation, as it has become the best path for managing organizations. Several authors and practitioners consider confidence as essential for the development and sustainability of this cooperation. According to Gambetta (1988) [1], confidence promotes cooperative behavior and promotes relationships between cooperants. For Social and Solidarity Economy organizations, inter-organizational cooperation is an excellent way to demonstrate the proper use of the principles of confidence. This is a key factor in their success, which is reflected in the practice of their daily activities. Thus, drawing inspiration from the literature dealing with confidence, and according to the measurement criteria proposed by Mayer & al., (1995) [2], we are conducting a quantitative study with three Economic Interest Groups (EIG) and four unions, composed of 59 cooperatives operating in d'Argane, located in Souss-Massa region. The goal is to show how confidence is built within these organizations. To what extent it influences inter-organizational cooperation.

Global Performance of Associations

This article seeks to deepen the notion of global performance for associations. In order to highlight the specificity of this concept for this type of structure, we proceeded, first, by observing and identifying the specific managerial practices and tools for Social and Solidarity Economy organizations. Second, we attempted to suggest a conceptual model of associations’ performances that simultaneously takes into account the interactions between its different dimensions. The model will then be specified according to a structural equation model, which explains the causal relationships between the different dimensions of performance. Its validation is based on data collected from associations located in the Agadir Ida Outanane district-Morocco.

The governance of solidarity economy organizations and their impact on community: a configurational approach

ABSTRACT Currently there is little empirical evidence on the impact of Solidarity Economy Organizations (SEOs) in their local communities. Using qualitative comparative analysis on more than 6,000 Brazilian SEOs, we analyzed how key rules of governance in combination with the predominant gender of members influences SEO effectiveness for community impact. Results point out four combinations of SEO governance rules and gender that are likely to produce positive outcomes for local communities. Our findings have three implications. They substantiate empirically the argument that the form of governance of SEOs matters and should not be neglected. Second, we show that the rules of governance that improve the social results of SEOs may be more similar to those adopted by traditional firms than generally thought. Finally, our study highlights the influence of gender in combination with other aspects of governance on SEOs effectiveness.

Educación financiera en los productores de café de la zona sur del Ecuador: el caso de FAPECAFES

Este artículo, fundamentado en la teoría de la triple hélice, analiza el nivel de educación financiera en organizaciones de la economía popular y solidaria empleando tres dimensiones. A través de una encuesta modelo adaptada para Ecuador, se recopiló información de 261 socios de la asociación de cafetaleros denominada FAPECAFES, distribuidos en las provincias de Loja, Zamora Chinchipe y El Oro. Los resultados determinaron que la población posee mejores resultados en la dimensión aptitud financiera (70.31%), seguido de la dimensión comportamiento financiero (48.5%) y conocimiento financiero (30.4%). El puntaje total alcanzado por la población es bajo (49.7%). Respecto al género, las mujeres obtuvieron menores puntajes que los hombres y la población con mejores resultados posee título de cuarto nivel. El estudio además evidencia que existe un proceso de alfabetización financiera previo en la población encuestada, pese a la limitada formación financiera en las personas que viven en áreas rurales de esta zona del país. Los datos facilitarán el diseño de programas de educación financiera de los actores público – privados, especialmente en las mujeres y los administradores de las organizaciones de economía popular y solidaria en ámbitos rurales.

The sustainability of solidarity economy organizations: An empirical investigation

Solidarity economy organizations (SEOs), community-based firms that usually operate in the third sector (nonprofit ventures) and are created by the members of the communities they serve, are believed to have the potential to contribute to a more sustainable world. However, little evidence has been produced so far about the factors that make these organizations more sustainable. In this paper, we analyze the impact of five key factors (source of capital, organization size, gender of leaders, incubation and networking) on the sustainability of more than 6000 Brazilian informal SEOs. We validated the constructs through a set of techniques belonging to the calculations of structural equations. Our study provides four key findings: social incubation and networking have a strong impact on the sustainability of SEOs, organizational size is (surprisingly) not important for the sustainability of these organizations, external sources of capital positively affect the sustainability of SEOs and finally, SEOs with more women leaders are more sustainability-oriented. Taken together, our findings indicate a path towards sustainability within the solidarity economy sector.

Economia social e solidária, governança e turismo no âmbito do desenvolvimento territorial sustentável

Este estudo analisa a ação de organizações de economia social e solidária que atuam no setor do turismo no território da Área de Proteção Ambiental da Baleia Franca, em Santa Catarina, Brasil. Tendo como base a abordagem do Desenvolvimento Territorial Sustentável - DTS, o estudo foi realizado mediante o emprego da pesquisa ação-participativa na rede de organizações TOBTerra. Neste contexto, o problema de pesquisa questiona se essas organizações estariam criando ou não um ambiente propício ao desenvolvimento de produtos e serviços turísticos em linha com os preceitos do DTS. Por conseguinte, o estudo tem como objetivos: identificar, descrever e interpretar a ação da Rede TOBTerra no setor do turismo do referido território. Justifica-se a importância deste estudo pela natureza predatória do turismo litorâneo em Santa Catarina em territórios onde não se estabelecem pactos entre agentes locais em torno da gestão e uso parcimonioso dos recursos patrimoniais natural e cultural. Pretende-se dar uma contribuição científica à abordagem do DTS no âmbito do turismo por meio de um trabalho teórico-empírico, destacando os conceitos de “cesta de bens” e de “governança territorial”, como também gerar conhecimento prático via análise interorganizacional dos conflitos, dos acordos e princípios comuns para a ação coletiva.

The Solidarity Economy in South and North America: Converging Experiences

This article explores elements that characterize and boost the Solidarity Economy, based on a comparative analysis of experiences in Latin America and North America. The diversity of models and purposes are underlined so as to demonstrate the main approaches and concepts regarding the so-called new expressions of alternative economies. In the South, these initiatives integrate economic and social dimensions, due to their socio-cultural foundations, and also to their specific rationality, in which efficiency and welfare, productivity and participation are inextricably linked. In the United States, an innovative example from the North, new social dynamics are currently developing in a convergent way, such as worker's cooperatives often associated with the solidarity economy movement itself, as well as different overlapping causes and social movements, from immigration to labor rights. The solidarity economy overall adopts another logic, in which the economic, social and political dimensions are integrated, and responds to emancipatory aspirations aiming at promoting global changes. In different contexts, Solidarity Economy organizations play an important role in the development of grassroots initiatives, whose main goals are an equitable and sustainable development as well as effective political citizenship.

Project Planning and Control in Social and Solidarity Economy Organizations: A Literature Review

Formal project planning and control systems include planning, measuring, and monitoring functions that enable the development of project plans and the comparison between the planned project objectives and the actual project performance. Social and solidarity economy brings new challenges to the project management discipline, especially on project planning and control, which need to be performed in an unusual context. In this paper, we review the project management literature in social and solidarity economy organizations to evaluate the main control issues faced by project managers working in this context. The AACE framework for project control plan implementation is used to classify the current literature in that domain. Our analysis shows that only three of the fourteen processes of the framework are covered, namely project scope and execution strategy development, resource planning and project performance assessment.

Empresas comunitarias para la solidaridad, la educación y el Buen Vivir: un estudio de caso en México

The contribution of solidarity economy organizations in supporting development has been recognized in several contexts. In particular, the role of community enterprises in promoting alternative approaches to development has been acknowledged in different settings, including indigenous settings. Following an ethnographic approach, this article analyzes the case of a rural community characterized by a strong indigenous component in the Mexican state of Queretaro. The study focuses on a community enterprise and other related solidarity economy projects in the area. More specifically, the aim of the study is to analyze the role of these organizational arrangements in supporting a view of development coherent with Buen Vivir, an indigenous approach to community well-being. The results highlight the potential of community enterprises in sustaining alternatives to development and the fundamental role of education in supporting the recovery of local culture, which constitutes the basis upon which solidarity economy projects can be implemented. Keywords : community enterprises, Mexico, Buen Vivir , solidarity economy, indigenous peoples.

Heritage resources and the development of tourist areas in the High Atlas and southern regions of Morocco

Morocco is currently implementing a decentralization model based on the territorial project approach. Introduced as part of the territorialization of public policy, this model involves many different actors, including representatives of civil society and solidarity economy organizations. Many projects developed by these actors focus on distinctive or typical local resources that are subjected to a process of valorization, differentiation, and heritage production. The main issues involved in this approach to heritage and tourism development revolve around the relative importance given to each of the three concepts of resource, terroir, and territory. The result is the development of new forms of territorial construction, operating on different scales, in Southern Morocco. The emergence of territories through new territorial innovation processes, usually initiated by outsiders or by emigrants from the area in question, is based on local leaders or individuals recognizing the potential of local resources and then exploiting them in order to promote local and regional development. The transformations affecting the territorial organization of the hinterlands of the regions’ main tourism centers provide evidence that these areas are opening up to globalization by restructuring their tourism territories as archipelagos.

As formas de comercialização na economia social e solidária e os princípios de comportamento econômico de Polanyi

The purpose of this paper is to explore the specificities of social and solidarity economy organizations that combine social mission with economic activities in the market. Empirical observation reveals that these organizations, being embedded in a logic market, adopt different forms of commercialization that enable them to sell products and services but always serving a social objective. In order to understand how such forms of commercialization emerge and what their characteristics are, this paper suggests a theoretical framework based on Polanyi’s principles of economic behavior. These principles reveal the existence of three economic regimes and three types of resources that are hybridized by social and solidarity economy organizations, and explain their origins, their roles in the economy, and finally their four hybrid forms of commercialization: not related, related, integrated and incorporated. The proposed typology goes beyond a simple description of what can be empirically observed, and consists in a first attempt at theorizing the issue of hybridization of economic activities in the social and solidarity economy. Besides contributing to the understanding of the complexity and diversity that define the development of social and solidarity economy, this theoretical framework can be helpful in identifying important topics for further research when applied to different national contexts. Key words: social and solidarity economy, commercialization, mission, economic activity, Polanyi.

Solidariedade e natureza humana

The concept of solidarity inhabits the collective unconscious and is usually related to something consensual, linked to the most basic values of mankind, but to expand that understanding leads to more complex views. Human solidarity would be conditioned by biological, or cultural issue that goes beyond any possible biological determinism. This study seeks to analyze the phenomenon of solidarity and its correlation with life in society from the perspective of complexity, through a cross-sectional analysis in order to cover the phenomenon in question from different perspectives. For that, we appealed to sociobiology, and the social sciences interpretation. We tried to thereby renounce the sole idea and permanent solution, by approaching to the assumptions of complex thinking, which rely precisely to overcome a single organizing principle or a single cause to explain the same phenomenon. It noticed the need of new societal experiences, which would block the advance of competitive individualist paradigm as the sole alternative, highlighting the experiences of the solidarity economy and third sector organizations that have a new business logic, a third social force among the state and the market.