Scaling up : the convergence of social economy and sustainability / edited by Mike Gismondi [and four others].

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Gismondi, Michael Anthony, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cooperative societies--British Columbia--Case studies.

Cooperative societies.

Cooperative societies--Alberta--Case studies.

Sustainable development--British Columbia--Case studies.

Sustainable development.

Sustainable development--Alberta--Case studies.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (314 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Athabasca University Press 2016

Edmonton, [Alberta] : AU Press, 2016.

Language Note:

English

System Details:

text file

Summary:

"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. Whether they were examining attainable and affordable housing initiatives, co-operative approaches to the provision of social services, local credit unions, farmers' markets, or community-owned power companies, the contributors found social economies providing solutions based on reciprocity and an understanding of how parts function within the whole--an understanding that is essential to sustainability. In these locally defined and controlled, democratically operated organizations we see possibilities for a more human economy that is capable of transforming the very social and technical systems that make our current way of life unsustainable."-- Proviced by publisher.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Tables and Figures

Acknowledgements

Introduction. Social Economics and Sustainability

1 Towards Convergence: An Exploratory Framework

2 The Green Social Economy in British Columbia and Alberta

3 The Role of the Social Economy in Scaling Up Alternative Food Initiatives

4 Human Services and the Caring Society

5 Towards Sustainable Resource Management: Community Energy and Forestry in British Columbia and Alberta

6 Evolving Conceptions of the Social Economy: The Arts, Culture, and Tourism in Alert Bay

7 Non-Profit and Co-operative Organizations and the Provision of Social Housing

8 Land Tenure Innovations for Sustainable Communities

9 Sustaining Social Democracy Through Heritage-Building Conservation

10 Strong Institutions, Weak Strategies: Credit Unions and the Rural Social Economy

Conclusion. “Social Economizing” Sustainability

List of Contributors

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references at the end of each chapters.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781771990233

1771990236

9781771990226

1771990228

OCLC:

948393774