A mixed method approach on social and solidarity economy in urban Greece

During the last decade Greece became one of the epicentres of two major crises, namely the global economic crisis and the ‘refugee’ crisis. The economic crisis has acted as one of the main triggers for the spread of social and solidarity economy (SSE) initiatives in the country. During the recent ‘refugee’ crisis the failure of the EU leaders and the Greek authorities to effectively deal with the high number of refugees created a space for the establishment of formal and informal organisations, including SSE entities, to support refugees and migrants to cover their basic needs and claim their rights. The paper using data from the SNIS (Social and Solidarity Economy, Urban Communities and the Protection of Vulnerable Groups) research project and inspired from resource mobilization theory applies a mixed method sequential explanatory design to examine the availability of various types of resources (such as organisational, material, human and cultural resources) of specific SSE organizations targeting to support refugees, migrants, and the unemployed population in the urban Greek city of Heraklion (Greece). These resources play a key role for the sustainability and the expansion of the SSE groups/organisations. The quantitative data derive from a survey with representatives of social and solidarity economy initiatives and the qualitative data are based on in-depth interviews with the different actors involved in these initiatives. The quantitative results shed light on the main features of the SSE organizations under study but most importantly on the availability of their resources. The qualitative findings provide an enriched understanding of the abovementioned resources as well as of the availability of cultural resources. Overall, the mixed method approach unveils the challenges social and solidarity economy initiatives face in the Greek urban context of Heraklion to accomplish their goals and maintain their sustainability in order to support vulnerable social groups.