Social and Solidarity Economy: Our common road towards Decent Work

After the financial crisis in 2007-2008, some regions and countries, notably in Asia and Latin America, witnessed encouraging and rapid signs of recovery in their real economy, in terms of employment and poverty reduction. Nevertheless, since the sovereign debt crisis in Europe that started with the Greek episode in mid-2010 and the continuing balance sheet recession in the United States, the world has entered a new phase of global financial, economic and social crisis. In a context of major social and economic imbalances and ever-growing instability, the ILO, with the support of many other stakeholders, advocates more equitable and fair globalization, with decent work at the centre of public policy

Reinventing the wheel? African cooperatives in a liberalized economic environment

Cooperative development in Africa can be said to have traversed two main eras: the era of state control and that of liberalization. The first era lasted up to the early 1990s and saw the origin and substantial growth of cooperatives on the continent. During that period, different models of cooperative development were introduced on the continent. We distinguish a unified cooperative model, a social economy model, a social movement model, a producers’ model and an indigenous model. But in all cases, cooperatives were engulfed into state politics. However, little is known about the impact of liberalization measures on these models. Our research in 11 African countries reveals that cooperatives in Africa have survived the market forces and continued to grow in number and membership. We see a slow but sure erosion of the unified model and the adoption of a social economy model. Cooperatives in Africa are re-examining their organizational forms and diversifying their activities in response to members’ interests and needs

Cooperatives and the Sustainable Development Goals A contribution to the post-2015 development debate

As we approach the Millennium Development Goals target date of 2015, regional, national and online thematic consultations have been taking place to frame the post-2015 global development agenda. A consensus on goals, targets and indicators for sustainable development will have to be reached before the end of 2015. The big questions revolve around the ways the international community will respond to the pressing issues of economic development, environmental protection and social equity in a sustainable manner. Among the preliminary findings of these consultations, is that job creation and concerns about the quality of jobs – especially in the informal economy - are top priorities in most countries, and will remain a major challenge well beyond 2015.1 Jobs provide livelihoods, income and security for populations, and in addition to creating new jobs, good quality jobs are a prerequisite for dignity for all. The ILO Decent Work Agenda of job creation, rights at work, social protection and social dialogue has been recognized as among the guiding principles at the debate. Achieving sustainable development must include the world of work. As values-based organizations, cooperative enterprises provide livelihoods for millions of people around the world, and are by nature sustainable and participatory form of business. They can be found in all sectors of the economy, and place emphasis on job security and improved working conditions, pay competitive wages, promote additional income through profit-sharing and distribution of dividends, and support community facilities and services such as health clinics and schools. In addition, cooperatives foster democratic knowledge and practices and social inclusion, making them well-placed to support the achievement of sustainable development. Cooperatives have also shown resilience in face of the economic crises

Surviving liberalization: the cooperative movement in Kenya

The Cooperative Facility for Africa (CoopAfrica) is a regional technical cooperation programme of the ILO contributing to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the promotion of decent work in Africa by promoting self-help initiatives, mutual assistance in communities and cross border exchanges through the cooperative approach. CoopAfrica contributes to improving the governance, efficiency and performance of primary cooperatives, other social economy organizations and their higher level structures in order to strengthen their capacity to access markets, create jobs, generate income, reduce poverty, provide social protection and give their members a voice and representation in society. CoopAfrica ’s approach consists of assisting stakeholders to establish a legal and policy environment conducive to the development of cooperatives; providing support services through identified ‘Centres of competence’; promoting effective co-coordinating structures (e.g., unions and federations) and establishing and maintaining challenge fund mechanisms, for ‘services’, ‘innovation’, and ‘training’. These funds are accessible through a competitive demand-driven mechanism and a transparent selection of the best proposals. CoopAfrica and its network of ‘Centres of competence’ provide different types of services: policy and legal advice; studies and publications; training and education; support to field projects; development or adaptation of didactical and methodological material; networking; advocacy; and promotion of innovative cooperative ventures among others. CoopAfrica is located in the ILO Office for Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda, and is part of the Cooperative Programme (EMP/COOP) of the Job Creation and Enterprise Development Department of the ILO. The programme works in partnership with the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), the UK Cooperative College, the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa), the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) and the African Union Secretariat. CoopAfrica is a multi-donors programme primarily supported by the UK Department for International Development (DfID). It also receives support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Government of Finland, the Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND) and the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Confederation (DGRV)

Interfacing the State and the Voluntary Sector for African Development: Lessons from Kenya

The purpose of this paper is to examine the possibility of forging a complementary role between the state and the voluntary sector as an alternative framework for enhancing African development, given that none of these actors have proved effective on their own. Using a study of community-based organisations (CBOs) – as a component part of the voluntary sector – in Western Kenya, it is argued that though these organisations have been instrumental in providing services that the state has been unable to provide, their effectiveness has been impeded by some deficiencies. It is pointed out that such deficiencies in CBOs should form the basis for bringing back the state in the  development process and have it forge synergies with these organisations rather than co-opting them into its machinery, as has been the case in the past. L’objectif de cet article est d’étudier la possibilité de construire un rôle complémentaire entre l’état et le secteur du bénévolat, en guise de cadre alternatif favorable au développement africain, étant donné qu’aucun de ces acteurs n’est parvenu à produire une action efficace, chacun de son côté. Sur la base d’une étude des organisations communautaires (CBO) – en tant que composantes du secteur du bénévolat – à l’Ouest du Kenya, l’auteur affirme que même si ces organisations jouent un rôle clé dans la fourniture de services que l’état est incapable de délivrer, leur efficacité a cependant été ralentie par certaines lacunes. Les lacunes des CBO sont la raison pour laquelle l’état devrait être ramené dans le processus de  développement et amené à construire des synergies avec ces organisations, plutôt que de les coopter dans sa machinerie, comme ce fut le cas dans le passé

Social and Solidarity Economy: Our common road towards Decent Work

After the financial crisis in 2007-2008, some regions and countries, notably in Asia and Latin America, witnessed encouraging and rapid signs of recovery in their real economy, in terms of employment and poverty reduction. Nevertheless, since the sovereign debt crisis in Europe that started with the Greek episode in mid-2010 and the continuing balance sheet recession in the United States, the world has entered a new phase of global financial, economic and social crisis. In a context of major social and economic imbalances and ever-growing instability, the ILO, with the support of many other stakeholders, advocates more equitable and fair globalization, with decent work at the centre of public policy

Reinventing the Wheel? African Cooperatives in a Liberalized Economic Environment

Cooperative development in Africa can be said to have traversed two main eras: the era of state control and that of liberalization. The first era lasted up to the early 1990s and saw the origin and substantial growth of cooperatives on the continent. During that period, different models ofcooperative development were introduced on the continent. We distinguish a unified cooperative model, a social economy model, a social movement model, a producers' model and an indigenous model. But in all cases, cooperatives were engulfed into state politics. However, little is known about the impact of liberalization measures on these models. Our research in 11 African countries reveals that cooperatives in Africa have survived the market forces and continued to grow in number and membership. We see a slow but sure erosion of the unified model and the adoption of a social economy model. Cooperatives in Africa are re-examining their organizational forms and diversifying their activities in response to members' interests and needs. © CIRIEC 2009.status: publishe

Collective action among african smallholders: Trends and lessons for future development strategies

Non-PRIFPRI1; CRP4WCAO; MTID; A4NHCGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH