Solidarity economy in Brazil has been developing from a huge diversity of expressions coming about in many different fields of action: be it in field of practices (production, marketing, finance and consumption); in the... [ view full abstract ]
Solidarity economy in Brazil has been developing from a huge diversity of expressions coming about in many different fields of action: be it in field of practices (production, marketing, finance and consumption); in the relations with social movements; or in the field of public policies; etc. Due to this diversity, many political subjects of solidarity economy enact under different strategies although appearing to converge into a sole political project for society. In any case, we can find many recognitions or understandings of what the development of economic solidarity actions is and what it could represent. In short, two types of recognitions of solidarity economy can be stressed: an acknowledgment from a bias of inequality and another from a bias of difference. This means that a particular recognition can lead to actions that are structured differently and aim towards results that may differ. Thus, it is important to identify this type of recognition in the relationship between State and Society, since the construction of this relationship in the field of solidarity economy sometimes is thrown off balance and produces public policies to support solidarity economy that are anchored in political representations and actions that have been configured from a bias of inequality or difference.
For the actors of the solidarity economy highly symbolic is the fact that the Secretaria Nacional de Economia Solidária (SENAES) [National Secretariat for Solidarity Economy] and the Fórum Brasileiro de Economia Solidaria (FBES) [Brazilian Forum for Solidarity Economy] - main expression of the solidarity economy movement in Brazil - were born almost simultaneously. Thus, public policy for solidarity economy in Brazil was organized to be formulated and implemented in close relationship with his movement. Insomuch, many were the institutional bodies set up to enhance this relationship, such as the Conselho Nacional de Economia Solidária [National Council for Solidarity Economy], National Conferences and the various boards that manage public policy programmes. Nonetheless, even with this institutional framework that enables a closer relationship between State and society, the movement also creates channels to facilitate dialogue and trail paths to be followed for the development of solidarity economy. In this framework, this paper explores the history of the construction of public policy for solidarity economy in Brazil, identifies the different levels of representation and dialogue between State and society and seeks to understand, on the one hand, the advances and contradictions of political action in this field, and on the other, as this intense and tense relationship between State and society shapes a type of recognition on solidarity economy public policy.
Key-words: solidarity economy; public policy; State; society; Brazil
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