Avaliação das ações da rede de incubadoras de Cooperativas Populares do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The Solidarity Economy emerged in Brazil as an alternative to the crisis in the labor market and the hunger situation of part of the population. In the 1990s, workers organized themselves to take on bankruptcy ventures acting in a community, self-managed and cooperative manner. In 1995, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro created the Technological Incubator of Popular Cooperatives (ITCP). In 1998 the National Popular Cooperative Incubator Program (PRONINC) was launched. Currently, in the state of Rio de Janeiro there are six ITCPs linked to educational institutions: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, North Fluminense State University Darcy Ribeiro, Celso Suckow da Fonseca Federal Center for Technology Education, Fluminense Federal University, Federal Institute of Rio de Janeiro and Fluminense Federal Institute. Some problems of ITCPs observed are: discontinuity, lack of financial resources, member turnover, difficulties in management and incubation methods, etc. Such problems have raised questions such as: What drives the success of ITCPs and Solidarity Economic Enterprises (EES)? How are the connections between them? What factors are most relevant to their performance? It was assumed that a large part of Solidarity Economy initiatives, particularly ITCPs, are related to social and environmental issues and that the results of incubated enterprises are limited and depend on the good performance and strategies adopted by the ITCPs, being fundamental to seek their technical and economical viability. This research aims to evaluate the actions of the ITCP network in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The methodology is qualitative and descriptive and was carried out through bibliographic and documentary research, questionnaire application and field observations. For analysis of the ITCPs, indicators were proposed in the axes: Personnel, Technological, Market, Financial, Administration and Management. The SWOT Matrix was used to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It is expected to contribute to the improvement of ITCPs and the strengthening of the Solidarity Economy in the state of Rio de Janeiro, reaffirming the importance of extension and research in universities. In the current context of the country, and in particular of the state of Rio de Janeiro, public policies in the areas of health, environment and work have suffered considerable setbacks ITCPs need to outline new ways and strategies to meet the challenges. Investment-seeking alternatives should be sought through partnerships with national and international institutions in order to improve the capacity of ITCPs and EES, which is crucial for their good performance and continuity. It is recommended to reinforce the actions of the National Network of ITCPs and a more effective participation in state and municipal forums to contribute to the elaboration and maintenance of Public Policies of Solidarity Economy. One of the limitations of the study was the impossibility of quantifying the indicators, which would provide more elements for further analysis. For future studies, it is recommended that a maturity evaluation and continuous improvement tool be replicable in the ITCPs and EES of the state of Rio de Janeiro.