this writing deals with the phenomenon of companies recovered by workers (or ert in spanish) within the context of the economic, social and political crisis that took place by the end of the '90. the attempts made at outlining the ert′s within the conceptual framework of the notions of social exclusion, third sector of economy and social economy are discussed from a criticism perspective. this is both an attempt at assessing the range of possibilities and boundaries in which workers self-management unfolds within those recovered companies and describing the processes of social innovation that are relevant for economic anthropology.
