XES: AN ALTERNATIVE CATALAN-BRAZILIAN ECONOMY IN PROGRESS

[Michel Bauwens]

via http://acampadabcninternacional.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/barcelona-...

The xarxa d’economia solidaria (supportive economy network) began 20 years ago, as a link between Catalan and Brasilian cooperatives.

This supportive economy as a new way of producing, distributing and consuming, is proposed as a viable and sustainable alternative to meeting the needs of humanity. That means that the economy is subordinated to the objective of providing – in a sustainable manner – the material basis of the personal, social and environmental development of the human being. Its central value is human work, so the economic efficiency is not limited just to profit, but defined by the quality of life and the happiness of society as a global system.

The 50+ members of this network satisfied the following basic criteria: to promote emancipatory work and not engage in labour exploitation; to preserve the equilibrium of ecosystems, with respect to initiatives that are not ecologically sustainable; to share part of their surplus time, money or goods, for the expansion of such economy;

to organize themselves in a democratic and participatory way; and to have managerial independence from the government.

The members provide a vast diversity in their business sectors, providing, with this diversity a wide range of products and services. Maximizing mutual cooperation to strengthen ties between members and create synergies that will benefit their business activities and affect positively what is offered to customers.

In their daily work they are organized in a horizontal and democratic way, with several commissions such as: Permanent Comunication; International; Books; Social Balance; Alternatives to the crisis; Mutual Cooperation;  Social Market.

From 2011 membership of individuals, not just entities, is allowed.

The XES and its memebers are aware that there are permanent risks of marginalization or integration into an economy based on commodities, as there is the possibility of lapsing into conformity, reproducing new hierarchies and inequalities.  Therefore social balance, a collection of books on social economics, mutual cooperation, the creation of a social market and the link with social movements as strategic tools are all promoted.

On their web site we can read: the supportive economy is not the panacea that will solve all evil, but without this kind of economy there will be no way out or escape from the social and ecological catastrophe of capitalism.

Their admirable strength and hard work is intended to demonstrate that it is up to us to build a different and better world.

LINKS:

XES web site: http://www.xes.cat/ (CAT)

XES Manifesto: http://www.xes.cat/docs/XS51002.pdf (CAT)