Urban inequalities and marginalization of the Social and Solidarity Economy

A comparative analysis in the Sants‐Montjuïc district in Barcelona

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21700543
AutoresSantiago Eizaguirre (0000-0003-4795-5472, Department of Sociology University of Barcelona Barcelona Spain, autor de correspondencia), Javier Vergel Faro (0000-0002-2156-2809, Department of Sociology University of Barcelona Barcelona Spain), Jordi Bonet-Martí (0000-0002-8863-3202, Department of Sociology University of Barcelona Barcelona Spain)
Año2026
Fecha de publicación2026-05-12
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAnnals of Public and Cooperative Economics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1370-4788 • E-ISSN: 1467-8292
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/apce.70053
OpenAlexW7160963892
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas23

This article examines how urban inequalities influence the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) through a study of two Barcelona neighbourhoods. It evaluates the limitations of SSE promotion policies implemented between 2016 and 2024, focusing on their impact on diversifying socio‐enterprise initiatives and fostering cooperative ecosystems with ecological and democratic orientations. The research combines sociodemographic analysis, georeferencing of social‐economy initiatives and thematic categorization of economic activities, complemented by tools developed within the SSE sector to characterize organizational structures. Findings reveal strong sectoral differentiation: in Sants, cooperative activity centres on housing, social innovation and consultancy, while in Poble‐sec, initiatives emphasize care, community health and food services. These contrasts reflect distinct institutional trajectories and pre‐existing socioeconomic conditions. The study concludes that current SSE policies have not reversed urban inequality dynamics or equitably diversified local economic ecosystems. It argues for policy approaches grounded in an understanding of how urban inequalities shape civic participation and local economies, and for fostering complementarities that enable the development of a rich, diverse cooperative ecosystem

Democracy · Ethnography · Inequality · Social inequality · Socioeconomic status · Solidarity · Solidarity economy · Collaborative and Sustainable Housing Initiatives · Cooperative Studies and Economics · Social Sciences and Governance