Scaling Up: The Convergence of the Social Economy and Sustainability
When citizens take collaborative action to meet the needs of their community, they are participating in the social economy. Co-operatives, community-based social services, local non-profit organizations, and charitable foundations are all examples of social economies that emphasize mutual benefit rather than the accumulation of profit. While such groups often participate in market-based activities to achieve their goals, they also pose an alternative to the capitalist market economy. Contributors to Scaling Up investigated innovative social economies in British Columbia and Alberta and discovered that achieving a social good through collective, grassroots enterprise resulted in a sustainable way of satisfying human needs that was also, by extension, environmentally responsible. As these case studies illustrate, organizations that are capable of harnessing the power of a social economy generally demonstrate a commitment to three outcomes: greater social justice, financial self-sufficiency, and environmental sustainability. Within the matrix of these three allied principles lie new strategic directions for the politics of sustainability.
1121719818
Scaling Up: The Convergence of the Social Economy and Sustainability
When citizens take collaborative action to meet the needs of their community, they are participating in the social economy. Co-operatives, community-based social services, local non-profit organizations, and charitable foundations are all examples of social economies that emphasize mutual benefit rather than the accumulation of profit. While such groups often participate in market-based activities to achieve their goals, they also pose an alternative to the capitalist market economy. Contributors to Scaling Up investigated innovative social economies in British Columbia and Alberta and discovered that achieving a social good through collective, grassroots enterprise resulted in a sustainable way of satisfying human needs that was also, by extension, environmentally responsible. As these case studies illustrate, organizations that are capable of harnessing the power of a social economy generally demonstrate a commitment to three outcomes: greater social justice, financial self-sufficiency, and environmental sustainability. Within the matrix of these three allied principles lie new strategic directions for the politics of sustainability.
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Scaling Up: The Convergence of the Social Economy and Sustainability

Scaling Up: The Convergence of the Social Economy and Sustainability

Scaling Up: The Convergence of the Social Economy and Sustainability

Scaling Up: The Convergence of the Social Economy and Sustainability

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Overview

When citizens take collaborative action to meet the needs of their community, they are participating in the social economy. Co-operatives, community-based social services, local non-profit organizations, and charitable foundations are all examples of social economies that emphasize mutual benefit rather than the accumulation of profit. While such groups often participate in market-based activities to achieve their goals, they also pose an alternative to the capitalist market economy. Contributors to Scaling Up investigated innovative social economies in British Columbia and Alberta and discovered that achieving a social good through collective, grassroots enterprise resulted in a sustainable way of satisfying human needs that was also, by extension, environmentally responsible. As these case studies illustrate, organizations that are capable of harnessing the power of a social economy generally demonstrate a commitment to three outcomes: greater social justice, financial self-sufficiency, and environmental sustainability. Within the matrix of these three allied principles lie new strategic directions for the politics of sustainability.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781771990219
Publisher: University of British Columbia Press
Publication date: 02/01/2016
Series: Athabasca University Press Series
Pages: 380
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Mike Gismondi is a professor of sociology and global studies in the Centre for Social Sciences at Athabasca University, where he also teaches in the Masters of Arts – Integrated Studies program. Sean Connelly is currently lecturer in geography at the University of Otago and a research associate with the Centre for Sustainable Community Development at Simon Fraser University. Mary Beckie is an associate professor in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Extension, where she teaches and conducts research in sustainability. Sean Markey is an associate professor with the School of Resource and Environmental Management and an associate with the Centre for Sustainable Community Development at Simon Fraser University. Mark Roseland is professor of planning in the Simon Fraser University’s School of Resource and Environmental Management and director of the SFU Centre for Sustainable Community Development.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures ix

Acknowledgements xi

Introduction: Social Economics and Sustainability Mike Gismondi Sean Connelly Mary Beckie Sean Markey Mark Roseland 1

1 Towards Convergence: An Exploratory Framework Sean Connelly Mike Gismondi Sean Markey Mark Roseland 7

2 The Green Social Economy in British Columbia and Alberta Mike Gismondi Lynda Ross Juanita Marois 27

3 The Role of the Social Economy in Scaling Up Alternative Food Initiatives Mary Beckie Sean Connelly 59

4 Human Services and the Caring Society John Restakis 83

5 Towards Sustainable Resource Management: Community Energy and Forestry in British Columbia and Alberta Julie L. MacArthur 113

6 Evolving Conceptions of the Social Economy: The Arts, Culture, and Tourism in Alert Bay Kelly Vodden Lillian Hunt Randy Bell 147

7 Non-Profit and Co-operative Organizations and the Provision of Social Housing George Penfold Lauren Rethoret Terri MacDonald 169

8 Land Tenure Innovations for Sustainable Communities Marena Brinkhurst Mark Roseland 193

9 Sustaining Social Democracy Through Heritage-Building Conservation Noel Keough Mike Gismondi Erin Swift-Leppäkumpu 221

10 Strong Institutions, Weak Strategies: Credit Unions and the Rural Social Economy Sean Markey Freya Kristensen Stewart Perry 247

Conclusion "Social Economizing" Sustainability Mike Gismondi Sean Connelly Sean Markey 269

List of Contributors 297

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