Cooperative (or co-operative ) economics is a field of economics that incorporates cooperative studies and political economy toward the study and management of cooperatives .
68-761: Co-operative Commonwealth may refer to: Co-operative Commonwealth (society) , a society based on cooperative and socialist principles Co-operative Commonwealth Federation , a defunct political party The Co-operative Commonwealth in its Outlines, An Exposition of Modern Socialism , an 1884 treatise by Laurence Gronlund See also [ edit ] [REDACTED] Search for "cooperative commonwealth" or "co-operative commonwealth" on Misplaced Pages. All pages with titles containing co-operative commonwealth All pages with titles containing cooperative commonwealth Commonwealth (disambiguation) Cooperative (disambiguation) Topics referred to by
136-406: A commune , the residents would be both the producers and consumers of its products. However, for co-operative enterprise other than communes, the producers and consumers of its products are two different groups of people, and usually only one of these groups is given the status of members (or co-owners). The differences in goals, purpose, and power between worker and consumer cooperatives has led to
204-514: A "transparent" wage system, and "full practice of democratic control". These two schools of thought are not necessarily in opposition, and hybrids of the two positions are possible. James Warbasse 's work, and more recently Johnston Birchall's , provide perspectives on the breadth of co-operative development nationally and internationally. Benjamin Ward provided a formal treatment to begin an evaluation of "market syndicalism." Jaroslav Vanek wrote
272-470: A .coop domain name. The Cooperative Marque is used by coops around the world to support the cooperative movement. It is used as a cooperative community badge, alongside your own brand identity. The Marque can be used on your mobile app, website, newsletters, email signature, publications, promotions, packaging, merchandise and signage. Together, .coop and the Cooperative Marque are symbols of
340-495: A comprehensive work in an attempt to address cooperativism in economic terms and a "labor-managed economy." David Ellerman began by considering legal philosophic aspects of co-operatives, developing the "labor theory of property." In 2007 he used the classical economic premise in formulating his argument deconstructing the myth of capital rights to ownership. Anna Milford has constructed a detailed theoretical examination of co-operatives in controlled buyer markets ( monopsony ), and
408-593: A debate between those who support consumer co-operatives (known as co-operative federalists ) and those who favor worker co-operatives (pejoratively labelled 'individualist' co-operativists by the federalists ). Co-operative federalism is the school of thought favouring consumer co-operative societies. Historically, its proponents have included JTW Mitchell and Charles Gide , as well as Paul Lambert and Beatrice Webb . Co-operative federalists argue that consumers should form co-operative wholesale societies ( co-operative federations in which all members are co-operators,
476-432: A firm is 60% owned by private investors and 40% owned by workers, this would generally not be considered a worker cooperative. ESOPs are also not considered cooperatives even if workers own 100% of the firm, because of the usual lack of democratic governance. Cooperatives may take on different legal structures depending on jurisdiction, such as an LLC , ESOP, 503c non-profit, or a distinctive cooperative legal structure (if
544-456: A lot of co-operative individualist literature deals with these societies. The Mondragón Cooperative Corporation has drawn so much attention because in 2010 it was the seventh-largest company in Spain. It consists of about 250 different worker cooperative businesses. The business model they use includes "extensive integration and solidarity with employees", worker involvement in policy and committees,
612-457: A mission to develop the global cooperative movement. Every cooperative that uses a .coop domain name as the primary address for their website elevates their cooperative identity, principles, and purpose. It unites the cooperative movement online with a shared identity. It transforms an organization's value from a lone contributor to an active participant of a global online network of cooperatives. All cooperatives verify their identity when selecting
680-579: A model factory town around his cotton mill and later established a model socialist community, New Harmony, in Indiana. Some proponents of women's rights, such as Emma Martin (1812–1851) in Britain and Flora Tristan (1801–1844) in France, stirred controversy by promoting socialism as the solution to female oppression." While state socialism was growing popular, rising in the early 1900s, followed by collapse in
748-525: A national leader in promoting the use of methane gas derived from cow manure as an energy resource. Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, the youngest generation and transmission cooperative in the United States, "is aggressively pursuing diversification of its energy portfolio to include a growing percentage of hydropower, photovoltaic, bio-fuel, and biomass" Jessica Gordon Nembhard in her monograph Collective Courage concludes that: …cooperatives…use
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#1732772677154816-680: A national scale (including worker cooperatives) within a free market apparatus. Tom Winters argues that "as with the free market more generally, it is not free trade itself that creates inequality, it’s how free trade is used, who benefits from it and who does not." According to Hervé Moulin , cooperation from a game-theoretic point of view ("in the economic tradition") is the mutual assistance between egoists. He distinguishes three modes of such cooperation: These modes are present in every cooperative institution but their virtues are often logically incompatible. International Cooperative Alliance The International Cooperative Alliance ( ICA )
884-399: A sense of solidarity and concern for community to promote economic alternatives that create economic growth and sustainability. At the same time, their solidarity and collective action increase productivity and help stabilize their economic circumstances. Moreover, cooperative economics is often viewed as a tool or strategy of a larger movement toward the elimination of economic exploitation and
952-586: A simplified version of the above principles. For example, the Australian government defines a cooperative enterprise as follows: "They serve their members by providing goods and services that may be unavailable or too costly to access as individuals. They share costs and carry on their enterprise under principles of: Cooperative economics is also distinct enough from capitalist economics in the public square that it has established and maintains its own domain ( .coop ). Jeffrey Sachs , an economist who works with
1020-573: A year with a possible extraordinary assembly being held if the Board were asked by more than one-fifth of the members,or by members who represent at least one-fifth of the total number of votes, or by the statutory auditor. The ICA Committee on Cooperative Research (ICA CCR) is a bridge between academic research and the cooperative world. The ICA CCR aims to raise awareness of cooperative research, particularly to managers and cooperators so that it can be applied effectively to current cooperative issues. One of
1088-633: Is a non-governmental cooperative organization founded in 1895 to unite, represent and serve cooperatives worldwide. The ICA is the custodian of the internationally recognised definition, values and principles of a cooperative in the ICA Statement on the Cooperative Identity. The ICA represents 315 co-operative federation and organisations in 107 countries. The ICA provides a global voice and forum for knowledge, expertise and coordinated action for and about cooperatives. The members of
1156-692: Is chaired by ICA board member Alexandra Wilson from Canada. On 13 May 2022, the ICA hosted a webinar to share the main takeaways from the 33rd World Cooperative Congress, promote the global consultation on the Statement on the Cooperative Identity, and bring together cooperators and the cooperatives branch of the International Labour organisation (ILO) ahead of the 110th Session of the International Labour Conference and
1224-527: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Co-operative Commonwealth (society) Cooperative economics developed as both a theory and a concrete alternative to industrial capitalism in the late 1700s and early 1800s. As such, it was a form of stateless socialism. The term socialism , in fact, was coined in The Cooperative Magazine in 1827 . Such socialisms arose in response to
1292-530: Is the ICA Committee that brings together cooperative organisations active in international development. Its mission is to promote the cooperative model within international development policies and programs, as well as to enhance collaboration across regions both inside and outside the cooperative movement.ICADP serves as a forum for discussion and exchange of experiences and knowledge on international cooperative development. The Gender Equality Committee of
1360-545: Is to increase awareness of cooperatives and promote the movement's ideas of international solidarity, economic efficiency, equality, and world peace. Since 1995, the ICA and the United Nations through Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) have jointly set the theme for the celebration of #CoopsDay. Through #CoopsDay, local, national and global policymakers, civil-society organisations and
1428-516: The Christian socialists and later writers like Joseph Reeves who put this forth as a path to state socialism . Where co-operative federalists argue for federations in which consumer co-operators federate and receive the monetary dividends , rather, in co-operative wholesale societies the profits (or surpluses) would be paid as dividends to their workers. The Mondragón Co-operatives in Spain are commonly cited by co-operative individualists and
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#17327726771541496-520: The 20th century, the cooperative movement grew exponentially in all countries affected by socialism and British colonialism, such as Canada, the U.S., South Africa, and across Europe. Jessica Gordon Nembhard has produced one of the most thorough academic monographs on cooperative economics entitled Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice, which looks at how African American communities organized to survive white nationalism, capitalism, and colonialism in
1564-407: The 20th century. The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) was formed in 1895 and National Cooperative Business Association founded in 1916. The post-WWII era experienced a decline in interest towards cooperatives in the economics profession, with much lower quality and quantity of the discussion on cooperatives in economics text books published after the war compared to those published before
1632-590: The Congress was concerned about how undeveloped cooperative movements could be assisted, either by the State or by stronger cooperative movements. In this Congress, each country is invited to set up a Cooperative Wholesale Society and an International Committee of Cooperative Wholesale Societies for Joint-Buying. The Report of the Central Committee on the ICA's work gave information on the establishment of
1700-642: The EU. The most comprehensive data collection on the largest cooperatives comes from the World Cooperative Monitor. Cooperatives are different from conventional firms in that the purpose of the firm is not to profit shareholders, but to benefit its members (whether workers, consumers, suppliers or purchasers). Because parts of the cooperative movement were anti-capitalist but not as revolutionary as Marx (who aimed to abolish all private property), Marx and Marxists were hesitant about supporting
1768-782: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and participates in the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE). Since 1971, the ICA has been a founding member of the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC), a UN multi-stakeholder partnership of global public and private institutions that promotes and advocates for people-centred, self-sustaining cooperative enterprises, guided by
1836-778: The G20 Summit. In 2006 the ICA published the first major index of the world's largest cooperative and mutual enterprises, the ICA Global 300 , which demonstrated the scale of the cooperative movement globally. Since 2011, together with European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises ( EURICSE ), the ICA Global 300 has evolved into the World Cooperative Monitor , a project designed to collect robust economic, organizational, and social data about cooperatives worldwide. The publication reports on
1904-524: The Globe and representing the act of cooperation. The silver version of this still remains in the ICA Head Office to the present day. A further aspect of this Congress was that it reflected the growing maturity and stability of the ICA. For example, there was an increase in the matters reported to Congress and questions which were handled by resolution. Both became part of the policy-making process of
1972-528: The ICA (ICA GEC) is a catalyst for change to make gender equality a reality in all cooperatives and serves as a forum for the discussion and exchange of experiences and ideas on issues related to gender equality. It promotes equality between women and men and gender integration in the cooperative movement and society. The ICA's Youth Committee aims to help young cooperators from different countries to connect, share experiences and ideas, as well as to provide an environment where young cooperators can learn more about
2040-464: The ICA Board. The ICA consists of a 20-member governing board, a General Assembly, four regions (one each for Africa, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Americas), eight sectoral organisations and five thematic committees. The General Assembly is one of the ICA's governing bodies. It is the highest authority of the ICA, constituted of representatives from its member organisations. It is convened at least one
2108-436: The ICA are international and national cooperative organisations from all sectors of the economy, including agriculture, banking, consumer, fisheries, health, housing, insurance, industry and services. The ICA has members from more than 100 countries, and it is estimated to represent one billion individuals worldwide. Cooperatives are values-based businesses owned by their members. Whether they are customers, employees or residents,
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2176-497: The ICA, defines and guides cooperatives worldwide. It contains the definition of a cooperative as a special form of organization , the values of cooperatives, and the currently accepted cooperative principles (the Rochdale Principles ) that direct their behavior and operation. The Statement with the latest revision of the cooperative principles was adopted by ICA in 1995. The 33rd World Cooperative Congress, with
2244-529: The International Day of Cooperatives. Up to 31 October, cooperators worldwide had a chance to answer a survey gathering opinions on whether the cooperative identity is well defined and understood. Cooperators in 136 different countries answered the survey. On 14 December 2022, the CIAG organised a webinar entitled 'Sharing the results of the survey on the Cooperative Identity', unveiling the findings of
2312-413: The United Nations, has emphasized the centrality of cooperative models of economics for the future survival of our species; though he pays little attention to actual cooperative enterprises and their development as more sustainable and humane models of production, he nevertheless contends more broadly that humans must “forge a new era of cooperation on a global scale" in order to survive. Elinor Ostrom ,
2380-586: The United States traveled to Britain to take part in a historic moment for the global cooperative movement. During the Congress, an international trade exhibition was set up in the premises of the Musée Social to foster collaboration between producer and consumer cooperatives in various countries. A resolution on women's participation in cooperatives was passed on this Congress, calling for cooperatives to delete rules which hindered women's admission to cooperatives on their election to committees and boards. On
2448-427: The aim is the achievement of a co-operative commonwealth, a society based on cooperative and socialist principles. Co-operative economists – federalist, individualist, and otherwise – have presented the extension of their economic model to its natural limits as a goal. This ideal was widely supported in early-twentieth century U.S. and Canadian leftist circles. This ideal, and the language behind it, were central to
2516-564: The best historical example of which being CWS in the United Kingdom), and that these co-operative wholesale societies should undertake purchasing farms or factories. They argue that profits (or surpluses) from these co-operative wholesale societies should be paid as dividends to the member co-operators, rather than to their workers. Co-operative individualism is the school of thought favouring workers' co-operatives. The most notable proponents of workers' co-operatives are, in Britain,
2584-420: The broad purpose of cooperatives is to offer different power structures than ordinary capitalist institutions (which are owned by profit-seekers that may or may not work at the firm), as well as to improve the economic and social life of workers and all who are involved beyond mere profit and creating products/services, there is much internal debate about what is truly cooperative, democratic, etc. For example, if
2652-435: The coming war, but events way beyond. Great personal relations between the ICA leaders were maintained despite the length and bitterness of the war. The ICA Executive's concern to avoid political splits within the ICA caused it to take a strictly neutral line An exhibition was set up in which cooperative movements from 32 countries participated. A sculpture was commissioned to depict a group of working men and women supporting
2720-405: The commons, not collective ownership of it, thus rejecting Lockean homesteading. Utopian socialists feel socialism can be achieved without class struggle and that cooperatives should only include those who voluntarily choose to participate in them. Some participants in the kibbutz movement and other intentional communities fall into this category. In some co-operative economics literature,
2788-468: The cooperative movement (especially consumer cooperatives) in the 19th century. The value of consumer vs. worker cooperatives continues to be debated by theorists, activists, and scholars (see below). The International Cooperative Alliance provides seven principles of cooperatives, each that contrasts with capitalist firms: An earlier summary of cooperative principles is called the Rochdale Principles . Governments may define cooperative enterprises with
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2856-607: The digital economy with identity tools and resources. Identity tools include .coop domain names and the Cooperative Marque, sector domain names. Resources include the .coop Global Directory and the Digital Empowerment Learning Hub. DotCooperation is jointly owned by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and NCBA-CLUSA (National Cooperative Business Association-CLUSA International), two non-profit organizations with
2924-421: The earlier Blueprint for a Cooperative Decade, and providing strategic guidance to the ICA and its bodies for the 2020-2030 decade. This Strategic Plan is based on 22 months of preparatory work, including two surveys with the whole ICA membership, two consultations with the ICA bodies (Regions, Sectoral Organizations, Thematic Committees and Youth Network) and several days of meetings and written consultations within
2992-407: The economy, while anarchists and libertarian socialists favor non-governmental coordination, either locally, or through labor unions and worker cooperatives . Although there is some debate as Bakunin and the collectivists favored market distribution using currency, collectivizing production, not consumption. Left libertarians collectivize neither but define their leftness as inalienable rights to
3060-701: The first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in economics, demonstrated the ability of cooperative enterprises and organizations to effectively manage environmental goods more than strictly political or market means. Forestry and electricity cooperatives are some of the largest in the world, which puts them in a unique position to address the negative effects of climate change. E. G. Nadeau provides some examples of what this means in his popular introduction to cooperative economics, The Cooperative Solution: "Dairyland Power Cooperative, based in Wisconsin, has been
3128-694: The formation of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation party in 1932, which became Canada's largest left-wing political party, and continues to this day as the New Democratic Party . They were also important to the economic principles of the Farmer-Labor Party of the United States , particularly in the FLP's Minnesota affiliate , where advocacy for a co-operative commonwealth formed the central theme of
3196-474: The global challenges that cooperative enterprises are facing today. On the first Saturday of July each year, the ICA coordinates celebrations of International Day of Cooperatives . In December 2009, the United Nations declared 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives . The ICA launched its 2020-2030 Strategic Plan , named “A People-Centred Path to a Second Cooperative Decade” , based on
3264-542: The global cooperative movement and our collective identity. They differentiate your cooperative from a private or investor-owned business. The first International Cooperative Congress was held on 19-23 August 1895 in London. Delegates from several countries were in attendance at the first World Cooperative Congress in London in 1895. Cooperators from countries including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, India, Italy, Switzerland, Serbia, and
3332-448: The implications for fair trade strategies. Socialists and anarchists , such as anarcho-communists and anarcho-syndicalists , view society as one big cooperative, and feel that goods produced by all should be distributed equitably to all members of the society, not necessarily through a market. All the members of a society are considered to be both producers and consumers. State socialists tend to favor government administration of
3400-480: The main activities of the CCR is the organisation of research conferences at the global and regional levels, including the biennial Global Research Conference. The Cooperative Law Committee gives independent advice to the ICA on cooperative law, broadly defined to include all legal rules that shape the cooperative institution and regulate its operations. The International Cooperative Alliance Development Platform (ICADP)
3468-479: The members get an equal say in the business and a share of the profits. At the United Nations, the ICA participates in high-level discussions of relevance to cooperatives through its consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which it has had since 1946, the first non-governmental organisation to do so. The ICA also has individual partnership agreements with
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#17327726771543536-696: The monthly International Cooperative Bulletin in 1908; on membership expansion; on new publications; and on the establishment of the International Cooperative Library and of the Centre for the Collection and Supply of Lantern Slides. It was the last Congress to be held before the start of the First World War a year later. In this Congress, the ICA passed its most notable Peace Resolution, which set its attitudes not only to
3604-470: The negative effects of industrialism, where various clergymen, workers, and industrialists in England, such as Robert Owen, experimented with various models of collective farming and community housing with varying degrees of success. This movement was often integrated with other progressive movements of the era such as women's suffrage and abolitionism. "British industrialist Robert Owen (1771–1858) founded
3672-547: The paper that was presented in this Congress, it suggested to strengthen the communication between the Alliance and its members and it recommended sending fraternal delegates to other cooperative movements' Congresses. During this Congress, delegates visited Rochdale, and a lecture on the Rochdale Pioneers was delivered during this visit. The Congress discussed cooperatives' relations with the State because much of
3740-778: The party's platform from 1934, until the Minnesota FLP merged with the state Democratic Party to form the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party in 1944. Co-operative commonwealth ideas were also developed in Great Britain and Ireland from the 1880s by William Morris , which also inspired the guild socialist movement for associative democracy from 1906 right through the 1920s. Guild socialist thinkers included Bertrand Russell , R. H. Tawney and G. D. H. Cole . Some economists have argued that economic democracy could be achieved by combining employee ownership on
3808-535: The power of light, enlightenment, and progress. The rainbow ICA flag is now superseded with the current version in plum background and a white ICA logo in the center. Marked by cooperatives worldwide since 1923 and officially proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on the centenary of the ICA in 1995, the International Day of Cooperatives ( #CoopsDay ) is celebrated annually on the first Saturday of July. The aim of #CoopsDay
3876-730: The principles of economic, social and environmental sustainable development. The ICA has been participating in the G20 Engagement Groups since 2014, having representatives in the taskforces and contributing actively to the discussions and preparation of documents. In 2020, the ICA created the Cooperative G20 Working Group to bring the cooperative movement's voices to the G20 Engagement Groups through their contribution in drafting policy papers, background materials, and advocacy documents to show their involvement and contribution in resolving issues addressed by
3944-446: The public in general can learn about the contribution of cooperatives to a secure future for all. Director-Generals Since 2001, DotCooperation has united the cooperative community through a shared online identity and platform where cooperative organizations can participate, inform, educate, and pioneer a path for others to join and support the cooperative movement. DotCooperation empowers cooperatives to participate and thrive in
4012-447: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Co-operative Commonwealth . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Co-operative_Commonwealth&oldid=1124970411 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
4080-559: The state provides for one, such as Massachusetts ). ESOPs (Equity Stock Ownership Plans, where workers own shares for retirement; see, for example, Bob's Red Mill ) that implement democratic governance are colloquially referred to as "ESOPeratives." In 1996, New Zealand passed the Cooperative Companies Act. In 2003 the Statute for a European Cooperative Society created a specific legal structure for cooperatives in
4148-674: The subject; they demonstrate how cooperative economics is able to solve problems in housing, food, and poverty that modern industrial countries have so far been unable to solve. In 2013, the USFWC spawned the Democracy at Work Institute , a sister organization that also facilitates the growth, creation, and conversion of worker cooperatives. There are generally four major types of cooperative organizations: The equity structures of cooperatives are therefore various and unlimited. Some implement private/investor equity while others do not. Since
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#17327726771544216-486: The survey. Other seminars and online events to explore the cooperative identity will follow in 2023. From now to 2024–2025 when the consultation will conclude with decisions from the ICA General Assembly, the following steps are foreseen: For more information, visit https://coopidentity.ica.coop/ . ICA adopted its original rainbow flag in 1925, with the seven colors symbolizing unity in diversity and
4284-512: The theme Deepening Our Cooperative Identity, initiated a consultative process to explore cooperators' understanding of the Statement and to examine how well it has stood the test of time. Following on from the Congress, the ICA Board set up the Cooperative Identity Advisory Group (CIAG) to continue the reflection and consultation on the cooperative identity. The Group comprises 23 persons from all ICA regions and
4352-1230: The transition to a new social order. Notable theoreticians and activists who have contributed to the field include Robert Owen , Pierre-Joseph Proudhon , Charles Gide , Beatrice and Sydney Webb , J.T.W. Mitchell , Peter Kropotkin , Paul Lambert , Race Mathews , David Griffiths , and G.D.H. Cole . Additional theorists include John Stuart Mill , Laurence Gronlund , Leland Stanford , and modern theoretical work by Elinor Ostrom , Benjamin Ward , Jaroslav Vanek , David Ellerman , and Anna Milford and Roger McCain . Additional modern thinkers include Nathan Schneider, John Restakis, Joyce Rothschild , Joerg Rieger, Rosemarie Henkel-Rieger, Jessica Gordon Nembhard , Corey Rosen et al., William Foote Whyte , Gar Alperovitz , Seymour Melman , Mario Bunge , Richard D. Wolff and David Schweickart . In Europe, important contributions came from England and Italy, especially from Will Bartlett, Virginie Perotin, Bruno Jossa, Stefano Zamagni, Carlo Borzaga, Jacques Defourny and Tom Winters. A major historical debate in co-operative economics has been between co-operative federalism and co-operative individualism. In an Owenite village of cooperation or
4420-668: The war. The University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives was founded in 1962, which was possibly the first organization to collect data on cooperatives. In 2000, the Democracy Collaborative was created out of the University of Maryland, which – among other things – facilitates the creation and development of cooperatives. In 2004 the United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC)
4488-425: The wider cooperative movement. Involving young people from outside the movement through education and support is a key focus of the work of this network. The network also looks to empower young cooperators to engage with the rest of the movement to both raise the profile of youth issues and to ensure the youth perspective is presented during wider discussions. The Statement on the Cooperative Identity , promulgated by
4556-669: The world's largest cooperatives and mutuals, or groups of cooperatives and mutuals, including rankings of the Top 300 and sectoral analysis. Since 2018, each edition has also a thematic focus, in 2022 it was dedicated to the digitalization and the cooperative identity. The ICA created in 2018 the International Cooperative Entrepreneurship Think Tank (ICETT) to boost cooperatives' entrepreneurial performance. Through innovative ideas, research, education, and cooperation, its members address
4624-810: Was founded, which, like the ICA, facilitates worker cooperatives (see "Types and Structures of Cooperatives" below). The ongoing success of cooperative economics in providing more effective alternatives to capitalist firms was so significant by the 21st century that the United Nations Assembly "...declared 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives, highlighting the contribution of cooperatives to socio-economic development, in particular recognizing their impact on poverty reduction, employment generation and social integration.” Contemporary cooperative economics has gained even further popularity since 2012, with numerous TED talks dedicated to
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