Engineering platform cooperativism: Contributions from the Brazilian solidarity economy

This study explores how engineering can support productive collectives transitioning into platform cooperatives, focusing on Brazil's solidarity economy. Through a case study with the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST), we analyse platform cooperativism in family farming, contextualised within Brazil’s political-economic landscape. Although such initiatives often reflect capitalist platformisation trends, they also provide opportunities for alternative models rooted in cooperation and solidarity. The research employs action-research and grounded theory, analysing semi-structured interviews to identify recurring organisational and technical challenges. Findings reveal that conventional digital platforms – designed for market efficiency and hierarchical governance – hinder worker collectives by restricting participatory decision-making, collective agency, and the development of immaterial resources like trust and competence. The study engages in a dialogue across disciplines from software engineering and production engineering, each one contributing to the collective construction of the problem and its solutions. This interdisciplinary synergy facilitates a comprehensive understanding of the organisational and sociotechnical challenges these cooperatives face. Our analysis emphasises the need for technologies aligned with Solidarity Technology principles and Solidarity Economy values to strengthen collective autonomy and sustainability. However, it also points to persistent challenges that require broadening the perimeter of the problem. By integrating sociotechnical perspectives, engineering can foster more equitable economic models, offering contributions for Brazil and globally on overcoming platform cooperativism's challenges through cooperation-centred design.