New municipalism and management of the common: the experience of Red de Municipios Cooperativos (Argentine Republic, 2016-2022)

Abstract

This article aims to present an experience of public policy generation, elaborating on the exchange between local bureaucracies and the cooperative sector under the precept of generating an economic dynamic associated with cooperative local purchases, in which credit is a relevant dimension for the generation and maintenance of local sources of employment and the strengthening of the municipal economic structure. The new municipalism as a theoretical approach allows the conceptualization of the Red de Municipios Cooperativos of the Argentine Republic as a tool for community governance and urban management. Through primary sources (semi-structured interviews and field observations) and secondary sources (academic bibliography and official reports), the history of the Red de Municipios Cooperativos is reviewed (from 2016 to the present) and its limitations and potentialities are analyzed regarding the improvement of the sustainability of the associative experiences that access the financing for local purchases within the framework of the network. Regarding the conclusions, the capacity of initiatives at the local level to strengthen municipal economies autonomously from national public policies stands out.

Keywords:
New municipalism; Management of the common; Solidarity economy; Public policies; Sustainability