ILO SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY
ACADEMY
3 RD EDITION - APRIL, 08-12 , 2013
Prof. Dr. LEANDRO PEREIRA MORAIS
lpmorais@gmail.com
AGADIR, 2013
Policy framework for
the development of SSE
Aims:
- Discussion on public policies (PP) for SSE;
- Pointing out its main instruments and trends;
- Discussion of the relationship of these policies with
“transverse” and “emancipatory” public actions;
- Some considerations about SSE in Brazil and Africa;
- Conection between Youth employment and SSE;
- Collect some international experiences;
Question 1
Is there consensus in your country
about what is Social and Solidarity
Economy?
1. Yes
2. No
Question 2
Is there consensus in your country
about what organizations qualify as
Social and Solidarity Economy?
1. Yes
2. No
1.1 Background
- SSE: difficulties and contradictions –
definition; conceptualisation; delimition of
its activities / organisations; measuring;
- Voluntary, philanthropic, non-monetary,
non-profit, sector of social interest, third
sector, NGO, solidarity economy, popular
economy…
SSE
- Phenomenon more and more economic,
social and political visibility;
- Impacting PP planning (subjects,
organisations, entities – recognition,
institutionalization and strengthen
projects and actions;
Question 3
Are there specific laws in your
country that regulate the Social and
Solidarity Economy?
1. Yes
2. No
Question 4
Are there specific ministries or
departments in your country’s
Government that deal with the
Social and Solidarity Economy?
1. Yes
2. No
1. Public Policies for SSE
1.1 Background
Programmes and actions of the public
sector to promote these as choices of
work, income, social and democratic
participation, better quality of life…
Globally…
-
Renowned international institutions have been producing
Documents,
Statements,
Resolutions,
Conventions,
Recomendations;
- Considerable number of SSEOs;
ILO Regional Conference in Johannesburg (2009) - a broad
view of the SSE:
“enterprises and organizations, in particular cooperatives,
mutual benefit societies, associations, foundations and
social enterprises, which have the specific feature of
producing goods, services and knowledge while
pursuing both economic and social aims and fostering
solidarity”
Globally…
- International Cooperative Alliance: www.ica.coop/al-ica
- International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation –
ICMIF: www.icmif.org
- International Association of Mutuality: www.aim-mutual.org
- World Council of Credit Unions: www.woccu.org
- International Raiffeisen Union: www.iru.de
- Other events: World Social Forum; International Meeting on the
Globalisation of Solidarity; Intercontinental Network for the
Promotion of the SSE; Asian Citizens Assembly for SSE (“bottomup” experiences);
SSE - importance: economic, employment and social penetration!
1.2 Trends and Instruments
Emergence of SSE PP:
- New model of relationship between
government action and civil society;
- “policy in progress”: “experimental”;
- Challenges: institutional fragility /
vulnerability
1.2 Trends and Instruments
Some instruments: Heterogeneous Actions
-
Actions for professional qualification for informal segments;
Conventional initiatives to disseminate microcredit;
Promotion of popular cooperatives incubation;
Support for the organization of associativism;
Establishment of SSE public centres;
Definition of specific and transverse programmes;
Definition of legal and regulatory frameworks;
Definition of governmental structures at different levels;
Constitution of logistic and infrastructure;
1.2 Trends and Instruments
Heterogeneity of actions = diverse in understanding and
recognition
PP for the SSE:
- Policies that affect SSE organizations (legal and normative
impositions);
- Macroeconomic policies (fiscal and financial) that “privilege”
SSE – subsidized interests / access to credit;
- Policies designed to be implemented at different geographic
levels;
- Policies to activate certain sectors or specific groups
(agriculture, low-income houses, youth employment);
Policies or supporting instruments?
1.2 Trends and Instruments
Neamtan & Downing (2005) – a systematized view
4 major categories for SSE PP:
1. Territorial Policy: supporting local communities
2. Generic tools for development: investment tools,
adequate markets, research, management
practices and training
3. Sectoral Policies: environment, housing, new
technologies, tourism, culture
4. Policies in favour of target populations:
integrating: youth, disabled, recent imigrations
1.3 Constructed from bottom-up
-
“Co-production”: citizens´collective action
-
Not seen as a “public construction” but “as the
result of processes of interactions between
associative initiatives and public policies” (Laville,
2006:19) – “reciprocal interactions from bottomup”;
- Territorial Development: social, political, economic,
cultural, environmental aspects in their respective
territories + associative articulation between local
producers and consumers;
1.4 Transverse actions
- SSE and transverse character: mobilizes different
areas of public action;
- Objectives – Economic (generation of job and
income) / Social (improvement of sociability
conditions, strengthening of territorial ties) / Political
(creation of public spaces for problem discussion and
solving) + SSE mobilize cultural and environmental
dimension;
- Problem: lack of articulation between government
agencies at different levels (!!!)
1.5 Possibilities of “emancipation”?
- Potential for the emancipation of marginalized
sectors based on the SSE;
- Ex. Programmes of conditional cash transfer to
alleviate poverty and break its intergenerational
circle – Bolsa Família (Brazil);
- “Exit doors”;
2.1 SSE in Brazil:
some considerations
-
WSF (2001/2);
-
FBES / CNES / SENAES (2003);
-
The situation in recent decades: weakned
standard
work
relationships
and
unemployment;
-
Institutionalization of PP SSE.
2.2 SSE in Africa:
some considerations
- SSE practices – philanthropy and actions of
NGOs;
- Today: advancements concerning the planning
of socio-economic development projects that
priorize peace, democratic participation,
governance and regional cooperation;
- SSE is “absolutely vital” to the recovery of
African economies (Ebrahim Patel)
2. SSE in Africa:
some considerations
- Anglophone Africa: policies to support the development of
the cooperatives and mutual benefit associations. Also,
developed cooperative laws and agencies to regulate the
cooperative movement – www.ilo.org/coopafrica;
- Francophone Africa: incorporated a commitment to develop
the SSE in their government structures. Ex. Departament of
Economic Solidarity (Mali); Ministére de la Solidarité
Nationale (Senegal);
- North Africa: SSE as a key strategy to fight poverty and social
exclusion.
Question 5
Are there experiences in your country
that connect the SSE practices as a tool
to aid the integration of young people in
the labor market?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Connections between Youth
employment and SSE
- SSE initiatives and ventures may lead to opportunities for
integration young people with few prospects from vulnerable
communities;
- Public Works and Employment Programmes (PWEPs): job
creation initiatives for vulnerable groups based on SSE
principles;
- An initiative was recently launched in Brazil (2011): Brasil sem
Miséria” [Brazil without Misery];
- ILO (2012:46), “there were many experiences but very few
impact assessments and evaluations in this area.
4. Collecting experiences...
• How to institutionalize the SSE in governmental
structures?
• The centrality and interfaces of the SSE in other policies?
• How to “territorialize” government action?
• How to establish permanent and effective mechanisms
for SSE participation in policy management?