Research and Information

An Introduction to the Solidarity Economy

Because the solidarity economy is a global movement to build an equitable and sustainable economy, finding one single definition to describe it is challenging. It looks different depending on the time, place and context in which it exists – as Emily Kawano, coordinator of the US Solidarity Network, Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS), and co-director of the Wellspring Cooperative in Springfield, Massachusettes, points out: “It’s not a blueprint theorized by academics in ivory towers. Rather, it is an ecosystem of practices that already exist…that are aligned with solidarity economy values.”  To understand the solidarity economy, it’s important to read and engage with a range of perspectives; here, we’ve picked out several research papers and links we think make great introductions to the solidarity economy. Click the link to download the paper or visit the website.

 

Research:

 

Links:

  • RIPESS http://www.ripess.org/ – (the Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy)
  • Socioeco http://www.socioeco.org/– resources on the social and solidarity economy, available in five languages
  • Grassroots Economic Organizing http://www.geo.coop/ – US-based site, providing news, analysis and an open forum on grassroots organizing to build and finance worker- and community-owned, democratically run, solidarity-based, ecologically sustainable enterprises and organizations
  • Solidarity NYC http://solidaritynyc.org/ – collective of organizers and academics who promote, connect, and support New York City’s solidarity economy
  • US Solidarity Economy Network https://ussen.org/ – network of diverse array of individuals, organizations, businesses and projects in the shared work of building and strengthening regional, national and international movements for a solidarity economy

We’ll be regularly updating this page, so please keep checking back.