The social and solidarity economy and the effectiveness of economic, social and cultural rights

Abstract

The social and solidarity economy (SSE) takes a critical position against a development model that increases poverty and subordination, and, on the other hand, integrates the economic, social and ecological dimensions of sustainable development, so that the production and distribution of natural and social resources favor processes of emancipation. It also brings us closer to the concept of sustainable development within the framework of self-determination, based on cultural diversity that ensures livelihoods with respect for territory, nature and other living beings, while also respecting traditions and spirituality with an eye to the future and seeking the realization of  economic, social and cultural rights (ESCRs). In this sense, and due to the ineffectiveness of the State in regulatory and operational public policies, under which it seeks to generate wealth and distribute it under a neoliberal economic model to finance its necessary actions and thereby satisfy human rights, the SSE constitutes an ideal means to reduce the asymmetry of inequalities; however, the proper development of policies based on this model is required in order to be the means for the fulfillment of ESCRs. This analytical-synthetic work, based on the documentary technique and the case study, demonstrates how this economic alternative promotes the effectiveness of secondgeneration human rights.