Who We Are
The Solidarity Economy Research, Policy & Law Project advances racial justice, solidarity economies, and economic democracy through trans-disciplinary research, critical praxis, and community alliances. We support the expanding network of worker cooperatives, housing cooperatives, community land trusts, food sovereignty projects, and other cooperatives, collectives and solidarity economy initiatives resisting myriad forms of oppression and injustice while building more equitable communities, cities, and societies.
Solidarity Economy Research, Policy & Law Project
What is the Solidarity Economy?
What is the Solidarity economy?
The solidarity economy is a global movement to build an equitable and sustainable economy that prioritizes people and the planet over profit and endless growth. The solidarity economy is a post-capitalist framework rooted in principles of mutualism, cooperation, democracy, equity, shared prosperity, sustainability, and pluralism rather than exploitation and extraction.
SELECT PROJECTS AND PAPERS
Chicago’s Community Wealth Building Initiative
Community Wealth Building (CWB) is an approach to economic development that promotes the local, democratic, and shared ownership and control of community assets. We will serve as the ‘hub’ for Research & Convening. We will collaborate with other grantees, partners, and ecosystem players to establish a community of practice, a flexible model for strengthening CWB ecosystem relationships, building capacity, expanding resources, and deepening Chicago’s infrastructure in four primary areas – Worker Cooperatives, Limited-Equity Housing Cooperatives, Community Land Trusts, and Community Investment Vehicles.
Cooperative Cities: Municipal support for worker cooperatives in the United States
This article examines the emergence of cooperative cities, municipalities creating enabling environments for worker-owned cooperatives through legislation, budget initiatives, and institutional practices explicitly fitted for cooperative enterprises.
Cooperation Chicago: Building Chicago's Worker Cooperative Ecosystem
This report examines the challenges and opportunities of worker cooperatives in the Chicagoland region. The paper discusses the need for worker cooperative development in Chicago, the current barriers cooperatives face to operating, and potential suggestions for local policy aimed at creating policies which would enable worker cooperatives to thrive. Supporting worker cooperative development could bring numerous advantages already proven in comparable cities – including growth of jobs, wages, and economic opportunity.
This report was produced through a partnership with Illinois Worker Cooperative Alliance (IWCA) and the Community Enterprise & Solidarity Economy Clinic at UIC Law.
Bon-Temps Community Wealth Building Plan
Directed by Professor Stacey Sutton, a team of graduate students of the Urban Planning and Policy program at UIC developed an urban agriculture adaptive reuse plan and feasibility study for the Bon-Temps Campus. This study is intended to support the ongoing work of Grow Greater Englewood (GGE) and the Englewood Village Farmers (EVF) by focusing on the feasibility of developing an indoor agriculture cultivation, processing, training, workforce development and community enterprise on the Bon-Temps Campus.
Our People
Supporting multi-sectoral liberatory strategies toward a just, equitable, and sustainable economy and society.
Our People
Stacey Sutton
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Renee Hatcher
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The Community Enterprise & Solidarity Economy Clinic at UIC Law
The Community Enterprise & Solidarity Economy Clinic at UIC Law represents worker-owned cooperative business, non-profit, or small business that operates for the benefit of an underserved community.
City of Chicago Community Wealth Building Advisory Council
Co-Directors Stacey Sutton and Renee Hatcher are on the City of Chicago’s Community Wealth Building Advisory Council. Alongside 18 other community leaders, researchers, and practitioners, they are serving as vocal champions and ambassadors of this policy initiative.
Chicago
The Mayor’s Office for Economic and Racial Justice has made a $15M 2-year investment in Community Wealth Building (CWB) which they have defined as an approach to economic development that promotes the local, democratic, and shared ownership and control of community assets.
The CWB Initiative will invest in the ecosystem, organizations that start, sustain, and scale CWB models. The CWB Initiative will fund an interconnected network of advisors to provide high-quality, specialized, and culturally relevant technical assistance, research and communication services for worker cooperatives, limited-equity housing cooperatives, community land trusts, and community investment vehicles.
The Solidarity Economy Research Policy & Law Project will serve as the Research & Convening Hub for Chicago’s Community Wealth Building Initiative.
Community Resources
Coming soon.