Worker cooperatives in post-conflict Northern Ireland: an exploration into prefigurative solidarity economies
Lead Research Organisation:
Queen's University Belfast
Department Name: Sch of Hist, Anthrop, Philos & Politics
Abstract
Northern Ireland provides a complex portrait of a divided post-conflict society, one where neoliberal economics are embedded into a fragmented landscape, emulating rather than transcending polarisation between divided communities. As peace fails to materialise as improved living standards for some of Northern Ireland's poorest communities, the neoliberal peace process is coming under increasing criticism. Northern Ireland's political battleground may not leave much space for alternatives, but it does not mean that they do not exist. In fact, the exploration of new repertoires for more progressive and shared politics is precisely what my PhD research investigates.
Indeed, this project builds on the first and original analysis (my PhD research) of the worker cooperative sector and movement in Northern Ireland, contributing to our understanding of cooperative economies in a context where they lack academic and policy scrutiny. Based on a long-term engagement with a number of small-scale organisations largely in and around Belfast, blending participant observation and qualitative interviews, the research makes a number of significant and innovative claims which this postdoctoral project aims to communicate and build upon. The research points to the benefits of cooperatives in challenging sectarianism; fostering the inclusion of women in the economy; addressing social deprivation and supporting community empowerment. In raising awareness of cooperatives' capacity for social value, the project fills a gap between the critique of neoliberal peacebuilding and, on the other hand, the envisioning of solidarity economies. Moreover, the project contributes to discussions both in academia and with local economic development practitioners on what drives the emergence of cooperative practices, the outcomes they foster and the impediments they grapple with, positioning cooperatives as part of wider post-growth economies.
As a result, the postdoctoral fellowship proceeds to build on this terrain of investigation, through academic publications, participation and organisation of academic conferences supported by a research community at QUC with expertise in political economy and alternative economies. Through academic outputs, the project will:
- bring to the fore spaces of critical agency too often overlooked in the literature on Northern Ireland, as cooperators seek to open possibilities for an economy centred on social justice and environmental sustainability.
- highlight the potential of cooperatives to provide alternative forms of engagement on cross- community issues as well as other tangible aspects such as employment, making a viable contribution to the study of both worker cooperatives and conflict resolution in Northern Ireland.
- discuss the institutional barriers to the development of cooperative economies including capacity issues, lack of support (advocacy and financial) and insignificant media and government attention.
The project also seeks to foster ties between academia and practitioners and contribute to the promotion of cooperative economies by turning ideas and research findings into persuasive and practical policy recommendations and developing impactful engagements with the cooperative sector and local economic development stakeholders.
Finally, the project builds on established and new connections with both the cooperative and trade union movements to investigate new research ideas, questioning whether and how traditional political actors such as trade unions engage with cooperatives and with post-growth strategies more broadly.
Indeed, this project builds on the first and original analysis (my PhD research) of the worker cooperative sector and movement in Northern Ireland, contributing to our understanding of cooperative economies in a context where they lack academic and policy scrutiny. Based on a long-term engagement with a number of small-scale organisations largely in and around Belfast, blending participant observation and qualitative interviews, the research makes a number of significant and innovative claims which this postdoctoral project aims to communicate and build upon. The research points to the benefits of cooperatives in challenging sectarianism; fostering the inclusion of women in the economy; addressing social deprivation and supporting community empowerment. In raising awareness of cooperatives' capacity for social value, the project fills a gap between the critique of neoliberal peacebuilding and, on the other hand, the envisioning of solidarity economies. Moreover, the project contributes to discussions both in academia and with local economic development practitioners on what drives the emergence of cooperative practices, the outcomes they foster and the impediments they grapple with, positioning cooperatives as part of wider post-growth economies.
As a result, the postdoctoral fellowship proceeds to build on this terrain of investigation, through academic publications, participation and organisation of academic conferences supported by a research community at QUC with expertise in political economy and alternative economies. Through academic outputs, the project will:
- bring to the fore spaces of critical agency too often overlooked in the literature on Northern Ireland, as cooperators seek to open possibilities for an economy centred on social justice and environmental sustainability.
- highlight the potential of cooperatives to provide alternative forms of engagement on cross- community issues as well as other tangible aspects such as employment, making a viable contribution to the study of both worker cooperatives and conflict resolution in Northern Ireland.
- discuss the institutional barriers to the development of cooperative economies including capacity issues, lack of support (advocacy and financial) and insignificant media and government attention.
The project also seeks to foster ties between academia and practitioners and contribute to the promotion of cooperative economies by turning ideas and research findings into persuasive and practical policy recommendations and developing impactful engagements with the cooperative sector and local economic development stakeholders.
Finally, the project builds on established and new connections with both the cooperative and trade union movements to investigate new research ideas, questioning whether and how traditional political actors such as trade unions engage with cooperatives and with post-growth strategies more broadly.
