The Portuguese law on social economy
This study is a reflection on the Portuguese Framework Law on Social Economy, highlighting, from a critical point-of-view, its contribution to the explicit institutional and legal recognition of the social economy sector. It does so by defining the concept of social economy and listing the entities engaged in this sector, by defining its guiding principles and the mechanisms for its promotion and encouragement, and also by describing the creation of a tax and competition regime which will take into account its specificities. The setting up of this foundation of the social economy was based on the constitutional principle of protection of the social and co-operative sector, which substantiates the adoption of differentiating solutions in view of the positive discrimination of this sector.
Social Innovation and the Role of the State: Learning from the Portuguese Experience on Multi-Level Interactions
The state is facing turbulent times. Financial and economic turmoil, growing inequalities, disinvestment in public and social services, and political disenchantment are but a few problems that contemporary society is facing, while traditional policies are failing to deliver the desired results. Social innovation is a possible approach to deal with emergent social needs. Research and policy experimentation on social innovation increased in the last decade, but many questions remain open. One key interrogation regards the relation of social innovation with the state. How can the state, considering the multi-level interactions that necessarily exist between different stakeholders, promote these practices? Using the case of Portugal, and the recent implementation of a pioneer public programmed dedicated to social innovation—Portugal Social Innovation—, this article contributes to the understanding of the role the state in the promotion of social innovation and the challenges, tensions, and difficulties experienced by those involved in the sector, whether as practitioners of social innovation or as heads of public institutions responsible for assisting in the development and implementation of social innovations. The article presents data gathered from a focus group involving the representatives from key third sector associations and officials responsible for public institutions that support the implementation of social innovation at the relevant levels of government (national, regional, local). Results show opportunities and tensions between the third sector and the different levels of the state, and a difficulty to adapt the processes and practices of public administration to the dynamic and creative nature of social innovation.
Pensar la economía popular en Venezuela. Cinco miradas inconclusas
La constitucion de la Economia Popular en categoria analitico-relacional abierta a otras deconstrucciones de lo real, es un proyecto cientifico-politico muy incipiente en Venezuela. Este gira en torno a la posibilidad que tienen los agrupamientos constitutivos de la categoria pueblo, hoy denominado sociedad civil, de configurar y significar desde adentro y desde abajo de la trama societal nuevos modos de vivir, pensar, sentir y hacer economia pero tambien cultura y politica, asi como de forjar sus propias interrelaciones y articulaciones con una realidad que eticamente no admite ya mas fragmentaciones. En este ensayo presentamos el producto critico-reflexivo de cinco miradas sobre la Economia Popular que, por su incompletud y evanescencia, no concluyen mas que en dejar el futuro abierto a la discusion creadora, fraterna pero sin concesiones.