Crisis, Continuity, and Missed Opportunity: Tracing a Transnational Solidarity Economy across Europe in Turbulent Times

Abstract

Due to an increasingly turbulent and unpredictable socio-economic environment, the sustainability of many CSOs is frequently questioned. To better understand the financial infrastructure of the social economy in times of crisis, we analyse a unique set of responses from 245 CSOs across eight European countries. Given the transnational nature of crisis and austerity, we explore the potential existence of a ‘transnational solidarity economy’. We find limited evidence of a cross-border solidarity economy space. Adopting the analytical framework of isomorphism, we uncover variegated solidarity economies that speak to national configurations and reveal that forces which seek to shape transnational responses to ostensibly transnational crises are weak. Our paper indicates a missed opportunity for the development of a transnational solidarity economy in a previous period of crisis and highlights key hubs that may be crucial in the development of such a cross-border infrastructure.