Work relations, everyday processes, and popular economics enterprises: the Solidarity Opportunity Program experience

Abstract

The objective of the research was to understand the development of solidarity economics enterprises with the focus on the analysis of everyday work relations. The research investigated, through observations and four semi-structured interviews, two companies supported by Solidarity Opportunity Program, a public policy promoted by Sao Paulo municipal government in 2004. From the fieldwork carried out it was possible to know: the modes of operation of each enterprise, its division of labor and the main features of everyday working relationships and processes of decision-making. Moreover, it was possible to recognize some of the problems faced by these enterprises and the collectively constructed solutions to deal with them, as peculiar strategies, practices and rules.