Public policies for Social and Solidarity Economy. Assessing progress in seven countries.

The social and solidarity economy continues to grow in many countries, and its recognition as a complementary and/or alternative development paradigm continues to increase. In the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the social and solidarity economy cuts across several, if not all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and is increasingly deemed to be an approach to bringing the global goals down to the local level. Indeed, localizing the SDGs is key to their successful implementation and to the attainment of the SDGs within their ambitious 2030 deadline. In order to truly localize them, it is necessary to gather information and look closely at the diverse and unique set of social and solidarity economy environments that exist around the world.

In this regard, the ILO has published several case studies on public policies for the social and solidarity economy. A large range of countries in Europe, Asia and South America have been studied. Overall, these case studies aim to describe and explain the general context and evolution of the process undertaken by different countries to reach a favourable political framework, from both a historical and institutional point of view.

This particular study is a comparative analysis of seven ILO case studies. In the rst part, an overview of the public policies for social and solidarity economy in Brazil, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, the Philippines, South Africa, the Republic of Korea and Italy is presented. The second part offers a comparative perspective of public policy for social and solidarity economy in terms of key instruments, achievements and limitations. Different pathways are identi ed and four speci c challenges related to state capacity, policy coherence, participation and sustainability are examined.

Undertaking the comparison of these case studies poses a challenge, to say the least. Different continents, different countries, different actors, each facing different issues, make it dif cult to compare them. However, comparing and contrasting the different realities allows for a more global picture of social and solidarity economy (SSE) public policy, thus providing insight and tools for local action. This comparative analysis underlines once more the many different ways of organizing the SSE across the globe. Cooperatives, mutual bene t societies, associations, foundations, non-pro ts, and social enterprises vary considerably, in type and in nature, from one country to another. The end purpose of this work is to offer a more complete and in-depth understanding of the global scenario for the social and solidarity economy, to share experiences, best practices, challenges and examples of support for the sector, and highlight the role of the SSE in the creation of decent work, and more inclusive and sustainable development.