La Economía solidaria: ¿Un discurso aglutinador o la posible expresión de un “contramovimiento”?

Abstract

The study of the part of the economy that has been excluded from the orthodox economic approach usually finds support in the alternative economic proposals derived from the seminal work of Karl Polanyi, who analyzes the need to "re-embed" the economy in society in the face of the devastating effects generated by the emergence and consolidation of market economy, as well as the emergence of a response from civil society which he calls ‘countermovement’. On this basis, and with a necessary nuance based on the historical, economic and political particularities of the Latin American region, an analysis is carried out on the extent to which, in addition to constituting a unifying discourse, solidarity economy could become a counter-movement, by channeling the search for social transformation through alternative economic practices in Ecuador, in a context in which neoliberal development models based on economic growth and the dismantling of the State perpetuate exclusion and the lack of real social representation. Through a series of interviews with key actors, supported by documentary review, it is possible to determine some key elements shaping the challenge that collective action under the solidarity economy discourse still represents in the country, so that it can actually think of itself as a counter-movement.