Values in the social economy: a study of mutual health organizations in France

This article examines the persistence of values in mutual societies. Drawing on qualitative research, it makes two contributions. The first is theoretical: using the economics of conventions framework, it conceptualizes the values specific to the social economy organizations. These values are thus shared collective representations, the result of power struggles between actors, which evolve within the framework of the development of neoliberal health policies. The second is empirical, showing that mutual societies, while constrained by their institutional environment when attempting to put their values into practice, also participate in the legitimization and diffusion of neoliberal policies within the healthcare system. Indeed, mutualist actors legitimize the development of a private and individualized health insurance market and participate in the private regulation of the French healthcare system.