Tenerife Pilots Canary Islands Social Economy Study

Tenerife is set to be the first island to test a new project that will look at how local councils promote the 'social economy'. This is the first initiative of its kind in the Canary Islands and comes from the University of La Laguna's Cajasiete Chair of Social and Cooperative Economy (CESCO). The goal is to understand what local councils are already doing, find the best ways they're working, and spot areas where they can improve these local public policies.

The 12-month study starts in Tenerife, focusing on ten small (under 10,000 residents) and medium-sized (10,000 to 49,999 residents) towns. These include Vilaflor, La Matanza de Acentejo, Tegueste, Santiago del Teide, Güímar, and Puerto de la Cruz. Researchers will pay special attention to the work of council departments and staff responsible for employment and economic development. These individuals are crucial for creating policies that truly fit local needs.

The project is being led by University of La Laguna (ULL) economists Cándido Román Cervantes, who also coordinates the CESCO Chair, and Olga González Morales. They are supported by Lilia Alonso, Evelio Pérez, Rubén Fuentes, and Federico Ghijs, all of whom are teachers or researchers connected to CESCO.

The main aim is to help local councils see 'collective entrepreneurship' – where people work together to start businesses – as a way to create wealth, keep residents, and stop depopulation, especially in rural areas. Cándido Román gives Vilaflor as an example, where an aging population threatens the town's future. He explains, "Our idea is that young people can stay in their town, even if they work in other, more distant places."

The research also wants local authorities to create their own long-term plans for the social economy. "We will offer clear guidelines for local councils to properly include these public policies," he adds. Román admits that a key weakness found so far is the lack of specific budget lines from councils for these initiatives. However, the strength lies in how close local councils are to their communities, as they "know the social and labor reality of their municipality better than anyone."

Román states that an outside company, the La Afortunada cooperative, has been hired to do the fieldwork. Rubén Fuentes and Federico Ghijs are in charge of interviewing mayors, councillors, and local development staff. Towns with fewer than 10,000 residents were chosen because they often face issues like unemployment or social exclusion. He highlights that "social and solidarity economy enterprises can play a fundamental role in social cohesion and in generating quality employment."

While the study begins in Tenerife, the plan is to expand it to the other Canary Islands. He explains, "Tenerife is our laboratory. If the results are practical, we will take it to Gran Canaria and the rest of the islands." The project is funded by the Canary Islands Government's Ministry of Tourism and Employment, via the Canary Islands Employment Service. It aims to become a vital tool for boosting the social economy in towns across the Canary Islands.

To carry out this work, the team is also using the expertise of Belén Catalá Estada. She is an economist specializing in social economy and cooperativism, who conducted similar research in 2021 for the Valencian Community.