Just as Goal 10 of the SDGs is “eradication of inequality”, “widening inequality” has become a major issue in the international community in the 21st century, and one of the causes is “expansion of globalization by capitalist economy” or “expansion of globalization by capitalism”.

We think about the view that there is a “prevalence of market capitalism” is deep-rooted. If the cause of “increasing inequality” lies in the “capitalist economy,” then “correcting” or “substituting” the current state of capitalism as a measure to reduce disparities will be ascended. There have been various efforts since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Practices such as Robert Owen’s “Utopian Socialism” and Marx Engels’ “Communism” are part of this.

Even after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, attempts to counter market capitalism have continued, being called the “solidarity economy” or the “social economy”. And since the beginning of the 2010s, the United Nations has continued to focus on those activities.

The Institute for Social Development has called for a network of “social and solidarity economies” centered on UN agencies, and it is drawing attention again. In this study group, we will learn various examples of solidarity economy and social economy that are being tackled in the world, give a bird’s-eye view of the practices and theories of these efforts.

Those approach have not always been compared across the board, and poverty in developing countries. We would like to consider whether we can find new possibilities for reduction and reduction of disparities, including in developed countries.

For this reason, this study group focuses on activities to listen to the stories of various researchers and practitioners at the first step and try to study more deeply.