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Based on the results of the first national research on the solidarity-based economy in Brazil, this article presents the profiles of the solidarity based economy enterprises, their processes of creation and institutionalization. The author identifies the conditions of the expansion of these initiatives and their limits. He analyses to what extent the introduction of the principles of self management and cooperation within the organisation is effective and influences the working conditions of the members. From the analysis of the empirical data, the main factors of viability of the solidarity-based economy are underlined. In spite of various socio-economical limitations, these initiatives improve, in most of the cases, the material life of the workers and, at the same time, provide concrete experiences of autonomy at work.