Cooperativism as a youth labor inclusion mechanism. An Argentine case study

Abstract

The topic of youth labor inclusion requires a debate on the problematics of the issue and alternatives to address it. This article presents the findings of a study of the Cooperativa Mundo de Zapatillas XX in Argentina, a social economy experience, which was created in the 2000s at a time when a profound restructuring of the organization of salaried labor was taking place. The study focuses on how the cooperative was formed and on the organization of its productive activities and its labor force in order to review its potential as a case that includes a high proportion of young workers. Qualitative methodology was employed consisting of semi-structured interviews in addition to surveys. The findings identify the characteristics that make this cooperative a space for training and labor insertion which is open to young people without previous experience.