Barcelona City Council supports, through financing and technical support, the social and community development of the solidarity economy and its territorial interactions. One of the first actions of the new administration (June 2015) was the implementation of an action plan to face the social and economic emergency. In order to do so, the newly competent municipal authorities responsible for the promotion of the solidarity economy met with social and community institutions of territories with the greater socio-economic inequality. Among them, 5 processes from 5 neighborhoods (4 districts) willing to develop solidarity economy as a driving force in their territory were chosen (December 2015). These processes are pilot projects which, during the course of their development, are evaluated in order to be transferable to other critical realities of the 73 neighborhoods (and 10 districts) of the city. In turn, a community agency for the spatial development of solidarity economy is being promoted COOPOLIS.

The presentation will present a public policy initiative for the SSE economy developed in the state of Bahia. Developed in response to mobilization from the SSE movement in the state and implemented with the participation of civil society since 2007, it has benefited thousands of workers by structuring and institutionalizing policies through the creation of specific legal frameworks, reinforcing economic rights regarding access to credit and solidarity lending and creating a comprehensive public service framework of credit and technical assistance that is easily accessible and providing direct services to enterprises through funding of thematic projects, such as incubators, support to networks of social enterprises, solid waste, black entrepreneurship etc.

The Manitoba Housing and Community Development, a public agency, has been supporting the social economy through its procurement practices for nearly a decade. By contracting from social enterprises providing employment opportunities for multi-barriered individuals, the department has been leveraging its regular purchasing (energy retrofits and apartment refreshes) to support poverty reduction and employment in the communities of Winnipeg and Brandon.