Popular and Solidarity Economy in Ecuador Historical Overview, Institutional Trajectories and Types of Organisation

This chapter focuses on identifying the types of organisation that claim to be part of the Popular and Solidarity Economy (EPS) and on analysing the functioning logics that characterise them. In South America, the concept of “solidarity economy” spread during the 1990s, through the creation of international academic networks. The chapter identifies the main trajectories followed by different groups of economic initiatives that led to their institutionalisation. It argues that organisations that currently recognise themselves as being part of the EPS in Ecuador have been inspired by several institutional trajectories: the cooperative tradition; and the social movements tradition. The trajectory of popular organisations is rooted in the popular economy and refers to forms of self-generated work reflecting a specific rationality, not only based upon growth-oriented aims. The chapter concludes by some remarks regarding the question of institutionalisation and the popular and solidarity-economy research agenda.