The Political Economy of Cooperative Firms: Historical and Comparative Perspectives

Cooperative firms are a successful organisational form in a number of countries and economic sectors. Recent figures report that the total turnover of the top 300 cooperatives worldwide exceeded US$ 2.1 trillion in 2015 (WCM, 2017) and that cooperatives account for 12% of total employment in G20 countries (ICA, 2015). These are not negligible figures. However, commonplace conceptions, largely promoted by economists since the late 1950s, see cooperatives as marginal and inefficient business structures, with limited survival prospects in capitalist environments.

Cooperatives for Sustainable Development

With David Gindis

This projects brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers for a two-day workshop on the role of cooperative firms in fostering sustainable development in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which sets a course to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Cooperatives are recognized as important vectors for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), because they promote democracy, ensure fair income distribution, foster social inclusion, and care for the environment. However, as noted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) in a joint initiative last year, while cooperatives are central to the realization of sus¬tainable development around the world, their focus on members and local community needs diminishes their national and interna¬tional visibility, and adversely affects their potential contribution to the design and realization of SDGs.