Crossroads: informal work and social economy

Abstract

This paper presents a theoretical discussion that problematizes self-employment as Informal Work (IW) and as Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE), as it unfolds in the textile industry of Moroleón and Uriangato, Guanajuato. Self-employment focuses on home-based workshops because it is a double-face space: solidarity on one hand and exploitation on the other. Although informality and social economy address the issue of self-employment, they pertain to different logics. Both are opposite to capitalist economy; in other words, they are considered as alternatives to capital, but they differ because the former pursues a capitalist culture and the latter is based on practices of solidarity where labor is placed before capital. However, IW and SSE provide income for those who are in unfavorable situations or have been displaced by the market economy.