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This paper situates contemporary evaluations of the 'success' of Spain's Mondragon cooperative complex within a tradition of debate about the politics of economic transformation. It traces the long-standing suspicion of worker cooperatives among political and social analysts on the left, revisiting both the revolutionary and gradualist socialist critiques of cooperativism. Taking the set of problems identified by Beatrice and Sidney Webb as leading to the inevitable failure of producer cooperatives, the paper examines Mondragon for evidence of 'degeneration.' The ethical decisions made by Mondragon cooperators with respect to product, pay, profit, innovation, management, disputes and membership are discussed with a particular focus on the management of surplus production, appropriation and distribution. The paper calls for more sophisticated analyses of the economics of surplus distribution and the centrality of ethical debate to the construction of diverse economies and non-capitalist economic subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key contributions towards understanding nutritional changes in modern societies from the viewpoint of social sciences have been made in the European framework. Existing Spanish studies echo the tendencies followed in other countries by anthropologists and sociologists. These works can be included within a wide-ranging debate on eating habits that has arisen from two novel facts: food options have increased making choice complicated, but the traditional agents that set norms no longer offer clear-cut guidance. In this study the main European perspectives are set out from a social viewpoint. An explanation is offered as to the stance sociologists and especially Spanish sociologists are adopting in these discussions. In addition, research proposals are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]