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Catalyzing worker co-ops & the solidarity economy

Mutual-Aid & Self-Help Groups

Groups or organizations that are dedicated to building and maintaining relationships of mutual aid and support between and among their members.

June 26, 2023

People Power Battery Collective

The People Power Battery Collective in the Bay Area launched a program to provide backup power during emergencies and increase the general understanding of energy access, consumption, and needs.

Citations

Half Past Capitalism (2023).  Venezuela's Commune Experiment.  Grassroots Economic Organizing (GEO).  https://geo.coop/articles/venezuelas-commune-experiment

May 25, 2023

Venezuela's Commune Experiment

Venezuela's communes are an attempt to address some of the shortcomings of cooperatives and state-owned socialist factories by addressing not just economic production but other social relationships like parenting and gender relations at the grassroots level.

April 27, 2023

Foster & Iaione Probe Commoning in the City

How might the commons paradigm be applied to cities in a more focused, effective way?  To find some answers, I recently interviewed two leading thinkers and advocates for urban commons, Sheila R. Foster and Christian Iaione.

March 23, 2023

Where Mutual Aid Comes to Its Own Assistance

“Mutual aid is putting the saying ‘We are all we’ve got’ into practice, and trying to meet some of the survival needs of struggling people, including ourselves, while building community and working towards [long-term] solutions that don’t depend on the state.”

February 16, 2023

Building, Here and Now, The World We Yearn For

Cecosesola is established in Barquisimeto, capital of the state of Lara, located in the central-western region of Venezuela, as a cooperative integration organization that has been established since 1967. It is a meeting space where we make active life of more than 50 organizations, integrated into a network for the production of goods and services that brings together more than 20,000 associates from popular sectors. Through this network, we develop a wide variety of activities such as: agricultural production, small-scale agro-industrial production, funeral services, transportation, health services, financial services, mutual aid funds, distribution of foods and household items. We are made up of about 1,300 associated workers who manage daily activities through participation that is open to everyone, without hierarchical positions.

Citations

Luis Razeto Migliaro, Matt Noyes (2022).  Cooperative Enterprise and Market Economy: Chapter 3.  Grassroots Economic Organizing (GEO).  https://geo.coop/articles/cooperative-enterprise-and-market-economy-chapter-3

Citations

Luis Razeto Migliaro, Matt Noyes (2022).  Cooperative Enterprise and Market Economy: Chapter 2.  Grassroots Economic Organizing (GEO).  https://geo.coop/articles/cooperative-enterprise-and-market-economy-chapter-2

November 7, 2022

Cooperative Enterprise and Market Economy: Chapter 2

Essence, economic objective, and characteristics of the cooperative enterprise.Essence, economic objective, and characteristics of the cooperative enterprise.

May 19, 2022

Rotating Savings and Credit Associations

A Rotating Savings and Credit Association (ROSCA) is a group of individuals who act as an alternative financial institution. Each person contributes money towards a common fund, and the funds rotate through members at regular intervals. The member who borrows the funds will eventually repay their portion back into the association so the next member can withdraw their share.

Citations

GEO Collective, Caroline Shenaz Hossein (2022).  Cooperative Finance in Haiti and Grenada.  Grassroots Economic Organizing (GEO).  https://geo.coop/articles/cooperative-finance-haiti-and-grenada

March 24, 2022

Cooperative Finance in Haiti and Grenada

A report on the widespread use of formal and informal financial cooperatives by the people of Haiti and Grenada.