Towards a digital post-capitalism: contributions from the social and solidarity economy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_ried/ijds.10647Keywords:
social and solidarity economy, digital capitalism, digital commons, platform cooperatives, co-productionAbstract
This article proposes that the social and solidarity economy model and the notion of «co-production» can serve as a framework for integrating public policy, digital commons, civil society action and cooperative platforms in a way that moves towards a post-capitalist digital sphere that contributes to a just and sustainable transition. First, the article reviews the main challenges that a just and sustainable ecosocial transition would encounter in the digital sphere. Then, it examines various proposals for transforming the digital sphere in a post-capitalist direction. Finally, it suggests that the social and solidarity economy can serve as a framework to integrate these diverse proposals and create synergies among them.
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Accepted 2025-01-07
Published 2025-05-06