Economies of common goods in Argentina

An analysis of two communities in Santiago del Estero

Abstract

Common goods are both natural and social and historical constructions that arise through social practices of communization, based on the principles of cooperating, defending and producing in common. They are the shared resources that a community builds, maintains and reproduces. This article aims to understand how an economy of common goods is structured from the economic practices developed in two rural communities
of Santiago del Estero. To this end, we study the practices linked to the production, expansion, preservation and control of common goods in Santa Catalina and Colonia Jaime. Using tools such as participant observation, in-depth interviews and secondary sources, the data were constructed from a qualitative methodology. As a result, it was found that the commons economies of Santa Catalina and Colonia Jaime are
based on the following principles: community work, common goods, economic conception around savings and institutional forms of government.