Examining the Collaborative Governance of Cooperative Hubs in Catalonia: Decentralized Co-Production for a More Democratic and Just Economic Development

I would like to submit the abstract for the following panel: CROSS-CUT PANELS Collaborative Governance: Policymaking and Cooperation in a Complex World Chairs: Ilana Schröder (University of Bern) & Annika Krüger (University of Bern), third chair tbd Abstract: This research examines the co-production of ‘Ateneus Cooperatius’, a public policy designed to promote the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) through collaborative governance with diverse non-state actors. Spearheaded in 2016 by the Generalitat de Catalunya (the autonomous government of Catalonia, Spain), the policy facilitated the establishment of 14 decentralised hubs formed by a variety of actors within each territory, ranging from local governments to small and medium-sized cooperatives. The goal of each hub was the promotion of democratic and inclusive models of economic development through collaboration and by incorporating the situated knowledge of the involved actors. Over time, the policy has evolved through iterative co-creation between the Catalan government and representatives from each hub. This study investigates the challenges and prospects of this innovative co-produced framework, which maintains a collaborative structure from inception to implementation. Employing a mixed-methods approach—comprising Social Network Analysis (SNA) and qualitative techniques, including semi-structured interviews and focus groups—the research evaluates the governance structures and their inherent challenges. Furthermore, it highlights the impact of policies of this nature that necessitate multi-level cooperation between a diverse range of decentralised actors, spanning regional and local governments to small and medium-sized cooperatives.