Social and solidarity economy in the territories: Initiatives ... · PDF fileInitiatives, challenges and prospects Seminar on 23, 24 and 25 November 2016 Charleroi and Liège, Belgium

International Network of Territorial Intelligence – INTI www.territorial-intelligence.eu - inti.hypotheses.org/ [email protected]

INTI –AAC- Charleroi and Liège, 23, 24 and 25 November 2016 1/7

15thAnnualInternationalConferenceoftheInternationalNetworkofTerritorialIntelligence(INTI)

-Secondcallforpapers-

Socialandsolidarityeconomyintheterritories:Initiatives,challengesandprospects

Seminaron23,24and25November2016CharleroiandLiège,Belgium

The socio-economic system that we have known for decades has unarguably fosteredsubstantialimprovementsinthelivingconditionsoftheWest.Nonetheless,voicesaretodaypointingout that this systemalsogenerates significant social andenvironmental tensions,which call for certain changes in theway inwhichwe conceive the conduct of economicactivity.Inthisoverallreflectiononthissystem’sperformance,socialandsolidarityeconomy(SSE)isaformoforganizingtradebasedon“cardinalvalues”(Draperi2007):responsibility,equality,autonomyandsolidarity, towhichS.SwatonandC.Danandadd limitingecological impact(2014).Ithasinspiredagrowingnumberofinitiativesthatproclaimtheirlineagefromit.Theplaceof economy in sustainabledevelopmentmustbe reconsidered.Socio-ecologicaltransition must jointly create harmony between the economic, social and environmentalgoals of sustainable development. This doesn’t mean merely adding social andenvironmentaldimensionstoeconomicdevelopment,whichisthesoleexistingone,withoutthoroughlytransformingthelatter.Neitherisitadenialoftheinterestofsaving,whichhasintroduced the ideaof limiting theconsumptionof resourcesuseful formakingaproduct.But it is clear that we must regulate the overconsumption of resources, to which theboundless quest for profit has led, as well as address the societal challenges that arecurrently jeopardizing “our planet”, or, in other words, humanity. Other criteria thatguaranteeequityinthedistributionofwealthandrespectbio-diversitymustbedevised.Circular economy, functional economy and collaborative economy are oftenmentioned asnew alternatives. Circular economy proposes incentivized behaviours organized byappropriate governance towardswhich the economy should normally have led,while thequestforprofithasledtooverconsumptionandwastageofresources.Functionaleconomytakesnoteofevolutionfromthepossessionofaproducttoaccesstoservices.Itislinkedtoimpoverishment and precarious employment arising from dropping salaries and decliningpurchasing power, due towhich a large part of the population is no longer able to haveaccesstogoods,includingbasicgoods.Theymustthenbeshared,bepossessedincommon.



Themanagement of the commons is also rendered necessary by the awareness that ourresources are finite. Beyond these three alternatives, social and solidarity economyrepresents a transversal pathwhich,while sometimes relying on these recent trends, hasbeenexperimentingsincedecadeswithpracticesaimedatamoreequitabledistributionofcreatedwealth,attentiontocollectivechallenges(whichincludeenvironmentalchallenges).In 2008, theWallonia Region (WR) provided a definition of social economy through adecree. This definition highlights the special ethics behind the actions that characterisesocial and solidarity economy initiatives and which translate into four organisationalprinciples: service aimed at members or the community; autonomous management; ademocratic decision-making process; and the primacy of people and labour in thedistributionofincomes.The term “social and solidarity enterprises” refers to organisations that comply with thedefinition laid down in the WR decree and are potentially in market competition withenterprisesguidedbycapitalistobjectives.The social and solidarity economy does not constitute per se a sector to be prioritised.Hence it does not concern only “low-value” occupations or those related to socialreintegration.Moreover,emergingsocialandsolidarityeconomyprojectsareoftenguidedby the rationaleofsocial innovation,which translates intoofferingproducts/services thatare yet to be provided by public/private players, using innovative action, or mobilisingresourcesthathavenotbeenusedbyconventionalcompaniesorpublicoperators.In 2015, the Walloon Government wished to create a fund specifically earmarked forfinancing cooperatives (Brasero, www.brasero.org) and infuse dynamism in cooperativeentrepreneurshipinWalloniawithaviewto:

- Mobilizingcitizen“savings”andinvolvingcitizens;- Developing communities of interests between producers and consumers, and

betweenco-operatorsandworkers,amongothers;- Generatingdirectimpactonthelocaleconomy.

In Liège, the social and solidarity economy is alreadywell established in various activities(suchaswasterecovery,construction,recycling,services,etc.),buttherearealsoprojectsinothersectors”:“WineofLiège”cooperative;CreativeResourcesCounter(CRC);CompanionsoftheEarth,etc.Thesocialandsolidarityeconomymustalsobeapproachedtoparticipateindeliberationsonthereconversionofindustrialzonessuitableforrecoveryandprocessingof waste, urban renovation of abandoned quarters, development of economic projectsdirectly related to cultural activities or tourism. Bolstered with the experience of severaldecades, clearly dedicated financing sources, experienced managers, social and solidarityeconomywill be an essential lever for awide range of economic reconversion and socio-ecologicaltransitionprojects.



TheconferencewillbeinauguratedinCharleroi.TheCityofCharleroiwasanearlypartnerofthe"InternationalNetworkofTerritorialIntelligence"(INTI).ItwaspartofthemodelactionsoftheThirdProgrammeforPovertyEradication,alongwiththecollaborativeinitiativeoftheDoubsDepartment,France,andthecityofHuelva,Spain,whichcreatedthefirstEuropeanNetworkofSocialandEconomicIntegration(REIES),coordinatedfirstbytheDoubsproject,thenbytheMIREC(CharleroiRegionalMissionforIntegrationandEmployment)in1991.TheCatalyseterritorialevaluationandobservationmethod(inti.hypotheses.org),initiatedbyDoubswas developed thereafter as part of the community health programme of Seraing(withASBLOptima), inDurbuy (with Intégra+), then inChapelle-Lez-Herlaimont as part ofthe European Network of Territorial Intelligence (ENTI), with the support of SEGEFA -University of Liège and the 6th Framework Programme of Research and TechnologicalDevelopment.SEGEFA,alongwithSPI,organisedthe11thAnnualConferenceofTerritorial Intelligenceonthethemeof“TheSustainableEconomyundertheNewDevelopmentCulture”inSeptember2011. It was during this scientific event that INTI – International Network of TerritorialIntelligence–wasfoundedundertheGDRIINTIinternationalscientificcoordinationaction.This Belgian dynamics formed part of the dissemination of the INTI network(inti.hypotheses.org),firstinEurope(namelyFrance,Hungary,Italy,Romania,Spain),theninLatin America (particularly in Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay), andmore recently in Africa(Algeria,BurkinaFaso,Morocco,Tunisia,etc.)SpecificationsoftheCallforPapersThe papers selected by the international scientific committee must combine the threefollowingaspects:

- themeof for-profit social economy and solidarity enterprises including a territorialaspect

- research action involving researchers and grassroots workers (exemption may begrantedincaseofgenuinepluridisciplinarywork);

- referencetopartnershipsbetweenthestakeholdersoftheco-constructionprojects.Thepaperswillbepresentedanddiscussedduringtheme-wiseworkshops.Fourthemeshavebeensuggested:A.ImpactmeasurementandassessmentintheframeworkofterritorialobservationTerritorial observation helps go beyond merely producing indicators, and enablesstakeholders of a territory to be part of the decision-making process determining theirneeds,andoftheimplementationofconcretecollaborativeinitiativesandevaluatingthem.In this context, the measurement of the social and environmental impact of social andsolidarity economy and its assessment must be developed. The proposals must show



interestinassessingthegeneralimpactofsocialandsolidarityeconomyand/orthatofsocialand solidarity economy enterprises. They must be included as part of the sustainabledevelopment of territories, and/or in the socio-ecological transition process, whileemphasising on the difficulties generated in terms of their direct impact on the localeconomy.B. Principle and value of the social and solidarity economy in connection with thesustainabledevelopmentofterritoriesThepotentialofsocialandsolidarityeconomyispracticallyboundless,asinthecaseofthestandard/classic/conventional economy, for the difference lies solely in its ethical stand,whichessentiallytranslates intoademocraticdecision-makingprocessandanon-capitalistmodel of allocating revenues. But what exactly are the fundamentals with regard to thecontributionof theSSE to the sustainabledevelopmentof territories?The referencesanddefinitionsofSSEarevaried.Thiscallforpaperstakesthemaindefinitionsonwhichthesedeliberations are based (GSEF of Montreal, in Europe, in France, Switzerland, WalloniaRegion)but it is importanttospecify thesewiththeaimofreflectingonaconvergenceofdefinitionsthatcanbeagreedonandbecomeoperationalontheground.C.ThecontributionoftheeconomicaspectwithinsustainabledevelopmentThethemefocusingontheeconomicaspectsofmanagementwillpayparticularattentiontonew economic models that incorporate equitable sharing of created wealth and remainviable.Inthiscontext,socialandcooperativeentrepreneurshipmustplayaprimaryroleandthe deliberations must lead to positioning these models as fundamentals for rethinkingdevelopment. The whole challenge lies in rethinking the value chain, both in terms ofcreationandappropriation.Citizencooperativesalsohavearoletoplay inthesustainabledevelopmentofterritories.Generally,citizenparticipation(includingthatofworkers)shouldimprove the resilience of territories. Specific case studies must be made so as to drawelementsfromitthatareconsubstantialwiththeredefinitionoftheeconomicdevelopmentframework and use the force of market economics and control it, i.e. by more stronglyassociating the freedomof initiative and trademechanismswith the challengesof society(socialcohesion,democracy,sustainability).D.CollectiveintelligenceandterritorialgovernanceThe general aim of this theme will be to rethink the role of human activity in society,questioning each and every individual’s responsibility in various modes of relations incooperation rather than domination, and work as a concerted activity instead of socialtorture(trepanum).The informative and publicity practices of SSE actors will be analysed to decipher theircontributionstothesustainabledevelopmentofthesocialandsolidarityeconomy.Forthispurposecollectiveintelligencemobilizedforinnovativeprojectsisvital.Apartfromaspecificproject, the combination of the reliability of stakeholders, partnerships and territorialembeddednessshouldhelpattainthedurabilitygoalsoffuturedevelopments.



Calendar1July:Launchofsecondcallforpapers15July:Decisionofthescientificcommitteeontheabstracts(firstcallforpapers)31July:Lastdateforreceivingabstracts2September:Decisionofthescientificcommitteeontheabstracts(secondcallforpapers)30September:Submissionofcompletepapers(7pages)23-25November:Conference15December:Submissionofrevisedpapers1stApril2017:PublicationAbstractsTheabstractsmustbedraftedinamaximumof400wordsineitherEnglishorFrench,[email protected],indicatinginthebeginning:

• Thetitle• Theauthor(s)andtheirprofessionalcontactdetails;• Paperformat:presentation,posterordemonstration;• Themechosen:A,B,CorD.

Theabstractswillbeanonymouslyreviewedtwicebyaninternationalscientificcommittee.Theymayberejected,oraccepted in the formofposters,papers,ordemonstrations.Thesubmitted posters and articles will be reviewed by experts before being approved forcommunicationandpublication.Allacceptedabstracts,andeventuallythetextofthepapersaswellaspresentations,willbepublishedindigitalformataheadoftheconference.For this purpose, apart from the abstract submitted for the proposed paper, the authorsmustprovide,accordingtowhatisapplicableintheircase:

• Atextofamaximumof7pagesandslidesforthepaper• Theposterandanaccompanyingtextof4pagesmaximumfortheposters• Anexplanationofthedemonstrationandanaccompanyingtextof4pagesmaximum

Dependingon theworkshops, theauthorcouldorallypresent thepaper,or theworkshopcoordinatorcouldmakeashortpresentationonit.Theofficiallanguagesoftheconferenceare French and English. Papers may be allowed in the author’s language provided theaccompanyingslidesareinFrenchorEnglish.Acceptedpaperswillbepublished inwritten form in theconferenceproceedings (7pagesforthepapers,4pagesforthepostersordemonstrations;themaximumimagesizeallowedis 1800 x 1200 pixels, 300 dpi resolution, in JPEG (.jpg) format, and CMYK for colourillustrations)onHAL-SHS.Theymust follow the formatof the INTI collectionarticles (ISSN2493-4488,http://inti.hypotheses.org/549StylesheetofHAL-SHSINTIcollectionarticles).



Pre-programme(tentative)22/11afternoon,CharleroiINTImeeting23/11Charleroi:Co-organisedwiththeVISES-Interreg(ConcertEs-CRESSLille)projectMorningsession:ThemeA–Thechallengesofmeasuringandassessingsocietalimpact.Afternoonsession:ThemesAandB–Territorialobservationandsocialandsolidarityeconomy24/11CharleroiMorning:GuidedfieldtripbytheCharleroiCPASTransfertoLiège24/11Liège(HECULg)afternoon:Workshop:ThemeC-Socialandcooperativeentrepreneurship-ScopWorkshop:ThemeBandC-Governanceandparticipationinenterprises25/11Liège(ULg):Workshop:ThemeD-CollectiveintelligenceandthedevelopmentofterritoriesWorkshop:ThemeD-TerritorialgovernanceandsocialandsolidarityeconomyScientificCommitteeJean-JacquesGirardot,AssistantProfessor,Economist,UniversitédeFranche-ComtéMSHE,France,PresidentofINTIScientificCouncil.GuénaëlDevillet,Géographer,UniversitédeLiègeSEGEFA,Belgium.CyrilMasselot,AssistantProfessor,InformationandCommunicationScience,UniversitédeBourgogne-Franche-ComtéMSHECIMEOS,France,INTIcoordinator.NataleAmmaturo,Professor,Sociology,UniversitédeSalernoDISUFF,Italy.EricBernard,ExpertinSocialEconomy,Belgium.AlineBingen,Professor,Economist,CentreMerites,UniversitéLibreofBrussels,Belgium.HoracioBozzano,Professor,Geographer,UniversidadNacionaldeLaPlataTAG,Argentina.DominiquePauleDecoster,Professor,Sociologist,UniversityofMons,Belgium.OlivierGalibert,AssistantProfessor,InformationandCommunicationScience,UniversitédeBourgogneFranche-ComtéCIMEOS,FranceSybileMertens,Professor,Economist,CES,UniversitédeLiège,Belgium.BlancaMiedesUgarte,AssistantProfessor,Economist,UniversidaddeHuelvaC3IT,Spain.RaulMontenegro,Professor,AlternativeNobelPrize2004,UniversidadNacionaldeCórdoba,Argentina.



NantaNovelloPaglianti,AssistantProfessor,InformationandCommunicationScience,UniversitédeBourgogne-Franche-ComtéMSHECIMEOS,France.MartheNyssens,Professor,Sociologist,CIRTES,UniversitéCatholiqueofLouvain,Belgium.SergeOrmaux,AssistantProfessor,Professor,Geographer,UniversitédeFranche-ComtéThéMA,France.MohamedOudada,Professor,Geographer,UniversitéIbnZohrd’AgadirESEAD,Morocco.AnaïsPerilleux,Doctor,Economist,UniversitéCatholiquedeLouvain,Belgium.BarbaraSak,AssociateProfessor,Economist,CIRIEC,UniversitédeLiège,Belgium.GiovannaTruda,AssistantProfessor,professorofsociology,UniversitédeSalerno,Italy.DidierVranken,Professor,Sociologist,MSH,UniversitédeLiège,Belgium.PhilippeWoloszyn,Researcher,UniversitédeRennes2ESO,France.

Documents

Social and solidarity economy in the territories: Initiatives ... · PDF fileInitiatives, challenges and prospects Seminar on 23, 24 and 25 November 2016 Charleroi and Liège, Belgium