The story of social economy in the Basque Country

Resumen

This work studies and analyses the reality of the different families that shape the Social Economy in the Basque Country: Cooperatives, Labour Companies, Special Employment Centers, Work Integration Social Enterprises, Fishermen’s Guilds, Agricultural Transformation Societies, Mutual Societies, Associations, and Foundations. An aggregate study of the Social Economy in the Basque Country is also carried out and a reference to the Solidarity Economy is made. For each of them, its specific legal structure is analyzed, updated socio-economic data is provided, their associative structure is described, and the driving notions that characterize them and their challenges as a family of the Social Economy are discussed. The work has been carried out with the sponsorship of the Social Economy Directorate of the Department of Labour and Employment of the Basque Government, the joint work of the Basque Universities: University of the Basque Country, University of Deusto and the Mondragon University. It has also counted on the collaboration of each of the entities representing the Social Economy sector in the Basque Country.