Hacia Otra Economía en América Latina: el papel de la economía social

During the last decade, new political, social, economic and cultural processes have emerged and have been developing in Latin America in response to the neoliberal economic model consequences; poverty increase, exclusion, inequalities and unemployment, as well as precarious employment and a deterioration of nature. Latin American people have elected new governments, which present alternative proposals that aim at transforming the economic (under)development model. Building a new political-social-economic paradigm is a complicated but necessary challenge. Many countries have used Social Economy concept (communitarian, popular, solidarity) to propose this other economy. In first place, this paper discusses a new theoretical benchmark identifying different approach. Secondly, the article analyzes how some Latin American countries have implemented this other economy, paying closer attention to two groups of countries, Bolivia and Ecuador, and Brazil and Argentina.