What a Solidarity Economy Looks Like

Maricá’s response to the coronavirus is nearly unprecedented.

In the face of pandemic denial, the small Brazilian city of Maricá has responded effectively to COVID-19. Indigent residents receive 300 reals ($60 USD) per month, a sum that is nearly 170% of Brazil’s poverty level. Other support measures include the public school system’s food distribution to families with children, as well as aid to small enterprises and the self-employed.

Universal basic income and the development of “local cooperativism,” along with an extensive association of community banks under state oversight, have fueled Maricá’s progressive spirit.

A long history of social progress underlies...