Patterns of Organizations Alternative to the Capitalist Logic in Latin America

Abstract

The article summarizes the outcomes of an international research project on Latin America, and aims to present the main types of economic organizations that differ from a market logic of the and the corresponding capitalist enterprises, in some cases opposing these. Seven patterns of alternative organizations are identified, with their respective contexts and trajectories of dissemination and institutionalization. These originated economic modes which are not typically capitalist, such as the communitarian, popular, cooperative or solidarity-based. The analysis is based on national studies conducted through bibliographic reviews, statistical analyses, case studies, and surveys applied in the more relevant sectors. In conclusion, the article highlights the central role played by the cooperative paradigm in the continent and the fact that the alternative organizations function as factors for containing a market-based logic and preserving collectivities whose life systems are based on other economic principles, in particular reciprocity