Universitat de València

Awareness-rising conferences on Social Economy for the provision of essential local public services in Canals on 25 November. “¿Pueden las empresas sociales ayudar a los Ayuntamientos a cumplir sus políticas sociales y de empleo?” (Can social companies help city councils to fulfil their social policies and of employment?). Researchers of the UV have raised this question, who coincide in thinking that the cooperatives and other companies listed under the Social Economy Law are the most suitable to provide local services, as well as fostering employment in the territory. It means an intermediate pathway between pure market and direct provision of public services, but above all, with them, the money inverted and effort made by the locality have an impact on thereof, generation more employment and wealth. In effect, services are provided by fellow citizens, or even by the users or providers themselves, who fix employment in the same field. This enables the fulfilment of the satisfaction of collective needs of the interested parties through mutual aid, with support from the municipality, and also prevents that taxes from citizens, used by City Councils for public procurement, or any other policy promotion, go to stop large company conglomerates that channel profits made outside the territory. The European Union is aware of this, which has indicated the convenience of fostering this type of companies, specially, at a local level. In the seminar, organised by the Office of the Vice-Principal for Territorial Projection and Participation of the UV with the collaboration of Caixa Popular, will be analysed the benefits provided by the use of social companies for City Councils to develop their policies, and also the different formulae which may be used by those City Councils for the direct or indirect management of local services by Social Companies, which encourage self-employment or favouring socio-labour insertion.