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Solidarity Economy

Summary

A solidarity economy is the constructive side of movement strategy: mutual aid, cooperatives, shared resources, and democratic economic practices that meet needs while modelling the social relations a campaign wants to win [source: shareable-mutual-aid-101].

Body

The corpus does not yet contain a dedicated solidarity-economy manual, so this page is grounded secondarily through the mutual-aid sources. Shareable’s Mutual Aid 101 Toolkit describes mutual aid as relationship-building through material support, not charity or one-way service delivery [source: shareable-mutual-aid-101]. The companion Mutual Aid 101 source frames the same work as a block-level network with scoping, outreach, intake, dispatch, and follow-up systems [source: mutual-aid-101-toolkit]. Those practices are one entry point into solidarity-economy work: people create the infrastructure that lets a community survive, coordinate, and act without waiting for the target institution.

In campaign strategy, solidarity-economy projects do three things. First, they meet immediate needs, which can keep a base engaged through long campaigns. Second, they build trust and practical leadership because participants see who can coordinate resources, solve problems, and follow through. Third, they make an alternative visible: instead of only opposing a harmful system, the campaign demonstrates a different way to organise care, distribution, and decision-making [source: shareable-mutual-aid-101].

Use the term honestly. A one-off charity drive is not a solidarity economy. The stronger pattern is recurring infrastructure with shared governance, transparent resource flows, and a link back to the campaign’s broader demand.

Use it for

Mutual-aid networks; strike support; campaign survival infrastructure; constructive-programme planning; explaining why care work and material support can be strategic, not peripheral.

FAQ

What is a solidarity economy?

A solidarity economy is the constructive side of movement strategy: mutual aid, cooperatives, shared resources, and democratic economic practices that meet needs while modelling the social relations a campaign wants to win [source: shareable-mutual-aid-101]. Shareable’s Mutual Aid 101 Toolkit describes mutual aid as relationship-building through material support, not charity or one-way service delivery [source: shareable-mutual-aid-101].

What three things do solidarity-economy projects do?

In campaign strategy, solidarity-economy projects do three things. First, they meet immediate needs, which can keep a base engaged through long campaigns. Second, they build trust and practical leadership because participants see who can coordinate resources, solve problems, and follow through. Third, they make an alternative visible: instead of only opposing a harmful system, the campaign demonstrates a different way to organise care, distribution, and decision-making [source: shareable-mutual-aid-101].

What is the entry point into solidarity-economy work?

Mutual-aid networks are one entry point into solidarity-economy work. The companion Mutual Aid 101 source frames the same work as a block-level network with scoping, outreach, intake, dispatch, and follow-up systems [source: mutual-aid-101-toolkit]. These practices are what create the infrastructure that lets a community survive, coordinate, and act without waiting for the target institution.

What is the honest test for a solidarity-economy project?

Use the term honestly. A one-off charity drive is not a solidarity economy. The stronger pattern is recurring infrastructure with shared governance, transparent resource flows, and a link back to the campaign’s broader demand. The test is whether the project has shared governance, transparent resource flows, and a link back to the campaign’s demand — if it is a one-off with no governance and no link, it is a charity drive with a solidarity label.

Sources & verification