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I've been working for a few years with the International Co-operative Alliance which unites, represents and serves co-operatives worldwide. They have launched an initiative named "Global 300" to promote the model and role of big co-operatives in the framework of globalisation. This initiative was launched in Lyon, in October 2006.
Here is the Global 300 initiative brochure, and the list of the world's 300 biggest cooperatives.
I am currently working with them on the creation of a high-level education scheme (MBA-like) for the managers of co-operatives. It will aim at developing a culture of management which includes the values of the co-operative movement and a critical approach to the dominant schools of thought in economics and business.
"Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
Check the following sites:
The European Confederation of Workers' Co-operatives, Social Co-operatives and Social and Participative Enterprises (CECOP)
Cooperatives Europe "Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
Except for the BBC extract above which is quite negative (coop retail got smashed in the UK), I've yet to find comparison data between non coop vs coop, on any scale. I can't seem to find employment data either.
Is the coop situation so catastrophic?
For employment figures, it is difficult to find them. The ICA claims that co-operatives represent over 100 millions of employees worldwide (and 800 millions of members).
If you need data on co-operatives, I can try to find them with the ICA.
Do you think it would be interesting to organise a chat on ET with a representative of the Co-operative movement? I think I could organise it. "Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
The only quantitative data I could find is the "Employee Ownership Index", but last datapoint is in 2005 ...
http://www.equityincentives.co.uk/resources/news.aspx
(and it's not really coop).
The Reeves paper is 29 pages, and has only one data point.
I do believe that publishing data will have vastly more impact on public opinion than creating an MBA, so yes I'm really interested in the chat with knowledgable people you're proposing :).
I'm in Paris, but I can travel if face to face is necessary.
Disclaimer: I own 60 000 euros of coop shares (mostly "La Nef").
However, I can put you in contact with people from the co-operative movement. The ICA is located in Geneva and its president lives in Bologna. "Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
If Jerome hasn't registered a new domain yet - then a .coop would be a good gesture. (Available via the ICA site)
I think if we could put ChrisCook's ideas on Open Capital together with coops, and then use the web to connect people together. it would be possible to build empowering organizations with very low transaction costs. You can't be me, I'm taken
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