The aspect of Social Economy In Canada
Social economics impacts positively or negatively the quality of living standards of millions of Canadians. Moreover, the social-economic aspects dictate economic stability and approve the most efficient and viable capitalist or socialist’s philosophies applicable to a nation’s social-economic reforms. Notably, many Canadian policymakers, scholars, and leaders have inadequate knowledge of social economics’ notions and technicalities. The concept is credited with generating billions of dollars in income if properly utilized to cater to the unfortunate (Fontan & Schragge, 2010). Hence this essay aims to illuminate exhaustively, contrast, and depict Quebec 5th outlines are inclined mainly on the aspects of a radical shift since heavily relies on the European social economies that identify with the concepts of activism to attain change, the policies create the urge of corporate social and individual responsibility to instigate change. However, the two approaches are closely inclined to believe that social economics are established to afford people with the necessities excluded in the dominant capitalist ideologies.
Besides, various social, economic concepts determine how long or how well we live. According to Fontan and Schrage (2000), social-economic theoretic concepts are described as income-generating practices free from government and market trends interference. Still, the authors advance that the notions have been in coexistence and conformity with human civilization since early human civilizations. Significantly the concepts are molded to prioritize the necessities of communities’ wellbeing, marginalized and disabled individuals. The concept strictly shuns political inclinations, divisive policies, and individualism. For instance, nonprofit organizations in Quebec, schools that afford scholarships to the needy are part of organizations that lack political inclinations aimed at extending mutual benefits to civilians, cooperation, and not driven by the urge to make a profit.
Moreover, some aspects of social economies are closely related and divergent at the same juncture. Classified in two categories of radical social alteration and pragmatic aspect. The analogy of pragmatic depicts social economy as a functional fragment of market capitalism (Fontan & Schragge, 2010). In contrast, the radical shift illustrates social economics as a portion of the revolutionary-driven socialist traditions. Still, recognizing that people have a diverse understanding of social economics based on their cultural, social, historical, and dominant economic backgrounds. The absolute necessity is to fathom that the two approaches are distinct. Social change considers individuals’ need to establish effective means to earn a livelihood while the radical advocates of instigation revolutionary means to achieve the social change within society as an activist.
In Canada, the voluntary, community, and social economy sectors, commonly termed as the third sector strategies, are implemented to conform and realize a collaborative approach in ensuring equitable resources sharing, employment, community welfare, and marginalized disputes. Primarily composed of traditional inhabitants of Quebec French and English Canadians (White, 2004). Notably, the Quebec highly effective social economy is based on the “quiet revolution” leaning towards a radical shift in approach.
The economy is subject to the aspects of demand and supply. It depicts the market trends, exchange of commodities and services among individuals, foreign trade between countries, forex trading of one currency to another to meet satisfaction. Globalization creates a dependency on products that Canada does not produce and export products to other countries that require them. The economic approach broadly marks distinct forms of capitalism and communism. Capitalism, commonly termed as the market economy, gives individuals, groups, and organizations the right to conduct trade within and outside borders with minimum government supervision. The approach is shared with democratic forms of governance, such as Canada.
In contrast, communism is marked with regimes’ firm grip and control on conducting trade’s technicalities. The government owns all income-earning resources and divides them among the civilian-based on the requirements. Often unpopular due to corruption and familiarity with autocracy regimes, the philosophies encourage community ownership and development instigated by the government. An apparent reference is a North Korean economy. Communism developed during the transformation from conservative society to modern democracy to counter the English Canada federal approach inclined to the pragmatic concept. The Quebec radical system is contextualized as agile in that it is both old and new. The system is based on the radical Quebec Catholic Church tasked with availing social reforms in learning institution s, faith, and the French language development (White, 2004). The model is still new since Quebec’s attained their government through consistent activism that incorporated strong unity, fighting spirit, and determination to establish viable, robust structures that demanded citizens an active role in creating public service agendas and communal approach in addressing the shortcomings.
Neo liberal policies a group of economic perceived to hold that all economic decisions are based on individual firm, or government regulations, rational self-interest in order maximize income for that individual. Recognized as the dominant and orthodox school of economics Still spaces of community where self-centeredness of the market and the removal of state bureaucracies are replace with the communities priorities and the economic strategies designed to fit the people’s necessities.(McMurtry,2010) For instance the Quebec social movement adoption of the le chanter’s economics that supported local community social efforts. The institutions earned income by trading, insurance and finance
For instance, Quebec Inc. incorporates homegrown business with the government’s partnership to establish a Quebec pension fund that applies the collective use of resources under government to develop the public’s social-economic sectors. Ensuring that the aged, retired workers are catered in monetary needs derived from the pension. Quebec’s social economy is unique because it is liberal in that it uses government resources to establish organizations that extend community welfare and offer subsidies to the jobless (White, 2004). Encourages growth of homegrown nonprofit entities that eventually contributes to the welfare of societies. Still, it is highly inclusive compared to Ontario that is characterized by stunted growth and government interference. Quebec is inclined toward radical change, stressing citizens’ need to have a significant role in running their affairs and attaining community progress. The Ontario pragmatic approach I individualist based.
Importantly, prominent economist theorists like Adam Smith (1723-1790) viewed the economic impression as an activity that involves people, balanced and self-interested. Karl Max (1818-1883) annotates that “economic activity, even market economy, can be understood as a social activity based on social decisions.” Hence, depicting the idea “Max” portrays that social concerns are the backbone of trade that society needs to give absolute essence (McMultry, 2010). Besides, Karl Polanyi (1886-1964) decodes that before the inception of the market economy, the barter of commodities and services was marked socialism the need to attain unity in the community to address the difficulties of mutual interest. For instance, erecting a bridge that serves the community. Therefore “Polanyi” approach excludes the capitalist notions and advocate for social impacts that are proven, beneficial, and inclusive of all classes of people. The theory of Polanyi is significant and vital to our argument that since it affords the radical structure of social economics transformation.
Moreover, “Polanyi” stress that before the inductions of capitalism, “wealth was merely an aspect of the life of the community,” suggesting that the focus of humanity was not affluence creation but more of a medium to support communal wellbeing generated and equitably shared according to the necessities of the community (McMurtry, 2010). The essence of focusing on social change in Quebec and the entire world is inevitable and sensible. Fontan and Schrage propose that social connection is the primary advancing point for humanity in attaining social economies. Therefore, the idea contrasts that of pragmatic shift that advocates for individual approach instead of groups of people when laying down the mechanism of shifting to economic analysis.
Another contrasting aspect is that the pragmatic approach like Ontario fails to eliminate collaborative solutions to satisfy a community’s needs but instead concentrates on individual satisfaction. The radical approach stress is affording economic policies that are gainful to the whole community in their social contexts where each person gains knowledge about self. Sociology depicts those interactions with others in the social context aids to realize personal traits. Still Help in identifying with a specific tradition based on beliefs, conduct, and actions (White, 2004). Hence the Quebec populace identifies with noble ideas of helping one another in happy situations such as weddings and offers emotional support in funerals to overcome the losses. Therefore, advocating for individualism is against their way of life and unhealthy in scenarios where you need others’ support to celebrate success and address disastrous incidents that collectively affect the community.
Further, the distinction between individual and communal delinquents is attributed to a personal organization in terms of decision and way of doing things. Paucity is widespread and cannot be specified to specific community members and, hence, wealth (McMultry, 2010). Insufficiency is ascribed by punitive government policies that encourage unemployment, unfair competition, and corporate mandate to initiates programs that offer solutions to community hitches since collective difficulties dictate the collective approach.
Quebec configurations aim to present programs that conform to the need to have adequate structures that benefit civilians. Notably, they lacked government and private sector interference. The significant objective is to attain social and economic empowerment stressing ethical processes to attain goals. Consequently, the notions conform to Desroches’s use of structural theories (White, 2004). The author argues historical and current trends in social economics’ approach need to concur to enable their viability in Quebec. Hence, the urge to ascertain the government’s functions and duties and capitalism ideas attain an effective social economy. In actualizing the notions, concepts of competing viewpoints are essential since they dictate the pragmatic concerns.
Besides, the reformist analogy is that the social economy should play a role in individual and enterprises’ commerce regulations. For instance, vibrant agricultural companies have a moral obligation to ensure they initiate well fare programs aiding community surrounding like creations of learning institutions. Address the difficulties that the community often experience (McMultry, 2010). Moreover, it is crucial to create co-operatives societies that afford them the requisite skilled and monetary resources, enable them to cover adverse losses in the form of loans and grants to ensure continuity of their livelihoods. However, past efforts to create these co-operatives have been exploited to satisfy personal greed, especially by society’s affluent. For instance, during the 18-century Plowboy and Beller’s initiative led to more marginalization of the deprived and vast spread loss of land since it created the need to have extensive land to facilitate agrarian revolution. Hence the less privileged were moved to create space. Due to a lack of clear policy like those depicted in Quebec’s pension fund on securities advance as loans, the situation was created.
Still, change is constant; the author narrates that the advent of the 19th century availed the democratic governments that provided a platform where individual and corporate responsibilities were debated. For instance, the social-democratic movement strived to confront the social injustices in economic fields and extend the right to elect political representatives (McMultry, 2010). Furthermore, fighting for fair working conditions leans towards a radical approach to afford workers’ rights to days off, holidays, and service pay. Creations of numerous trade unions greatly influenced attaining most of these privileges enjoyed today. In contrast to the anarchies were against the reforms purporting that power ought to be centralized, advancing self-actualization while offering democracy hence the birth of capitalism closely related to pragmatic social shift. The argument that co-operatives would incorporate democracy to ensure social change that the activist was striving for. The right of association availed means to an individual to choose representatives that best support their interest (McMultry, 2010). Significantly, the gradual shift from an agricultural economy to an industrial-based that created the necessity of labor
Moreover, significant cities globally and in Canada face the ills of increased crime rates, the decline in family values, and unemployment is evident, thus proving the pragmatic approaches are not entirely functional (McMultry, 2010). The noble ideas of volunteerism are slowly fading party attributed to the authorities’ urge to absorb wealth and drop-in programs of ensuring community welfare. The concern can be attributed to capitalism that advances, taking advantage of social problems to offer a solution while earning income. The social economy concept lost track, and capitalism’s idealism determined success in total disregard of the ideas that achieved communal empowerment. Currently, the situation is dire; multinational companies such as Amazon have enabled individuals to amass and control excessive resources at the poor majority’s expense. The analogy of community social wellbeing. The competition is among individuals who can amass more wealth. Sadly the majority are suffering in abject poverty.
References
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McMurtry, J. J. “Introducing the Social Economy in Theory and Practice.” McMurtry, J. J. Living Economics: Canadian Perspectives on the Social Economy, Co-operatives, and Community Economic Development. Emond Montgomery Publications, 2010. 279.
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