A socio-economic unit, or Samaj''samaja'' in [[Sanskrit]], is the Proutist materialization of the collective effort to create a strong and resilient local [[community]], built on strong feelings of [[solidarity]] and [[Self-concept|self-identity]].<ref name=":0" /> There are a few criteria that Sarkar outlined in order to build a working and cohesive socio-economic unit.<ref name=":0" /> Similar to [[Bioregionalism|bioregions]], their purpose is to facilitate cooperative development, moving towards a decentralized economy, where these units are economically independent and self-reliant.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Self Reliant Regional Proutistic Development|last2=Towsey|first2=Michael|last1=Ghista|first1=Dhanjoo|publisher=Prout Research Institute|year=1991|url=http://www.prout.org.au/books/Self-Reliant%20Regional%20Development.pdf}}</ref> Though still guided by national and federal guidelines and laws, they should prepare its own economic plan.
Aiming to achieve maximum efficiency in the utilization of local resources, they propose to make trade across borders more balanced and mutually beneficial.<ref name=":5" />
