Sozial- und Solidarwirtschaft im neuen Munizipalismus: Eine Entprivatisierung der Stadt?

In the face of multiple crises and a Europe-wide policy of austerity and privatization, cities in many cases have become places of resistance and laboratories for a new public policy. In almost all major cities in Spain, there was a dynamic of urban politics in the mid-2010s that focused on cooperation with civil society and movements, positioned itself in opposition to the (central) state, and has since been discussed as a new municipalism. Also in the UK, municipal anti-austerity policies have gained influence since 2010. In particular, the development of social and solidarity economies (SSEs) in the local social environment assumes a key place in the desired re-localization of the economy. This contribution examines this dynamic, analyzes strategies, successes, and hindering conditions of municipalist politics aimed at strengthening the social and solidarity economy, and inquires about its potential to substantially de-privatize the urban economy. The contribution posits that the SSE is not only a central reference point for any programme of de-privatization and democratization in the new municipalism, but also functions as an empty signifier that can be enlisted by various participants and with varying intentions.