Local governments and policy to promote cooperatives and the social economy: between a multilevel policy transmission channel and a proactive agent in the territorial ecosystem. The Valencian case

Abstract

This paper analyses the role currently played by local governments in the Valencia Region in the promotion of cooperativism and the social economy. In addition to offering empirical information in this respect for the Valencian region of Spain, assessing the degree of involvement of local public authorities, the types of policies deployed, the limiting factors in their deployment and the common characteristics of the most active municipalities, the systemic role of these local governments has been analyzed from a dual role, that of being a transmission channel, from a multilevel perspective, of the social economy policy promoted from supra-municipal levels, in particular from regional, state and European Union governments, and of being politically proactive, driving and/or catalyzing public policies in their own territorial ecosystem, either alone or in cooperation with other administrations and/or other socio-economic agents. The main results obtained are, firstly, that the majority of Valencian local councils have deployed some measure to promote cooperativism and the social economy, being more active the larger they are and when they have dynamic agents such as local development agents. Secondly, these latter agents, who are dynamising agents of the social economy ecosystem, can promote intra- and inter-municipal collaborations and development initiatives that feedback on each other.