This volume explores where, how and why the cooperative model is having a distinctive, transformational impact in driving socio-economic changes in a post-pandemic 21st century world.
Drawing from a diverse range of examples, the book sheds light on how today's cooperatives and a co-operative way of organising might serve new societal demands. It examines organisational structures and governance models that develop socio-economic resilience in cooperatives. The book's contributors reveal how the very pursuit of cooperative values and principles challenges market fundamentalism and promotes participatory democracy.
This is a timely contribution to recent debates around transformative economies and an invaluable resource for scholars and activists interested in alternative ways of organising.
1. Introduction: European Co-operativism in a Changing World - Julian Manley, Anthony Webster and Olga Kuznetsova Part 1: Seeds: Identifying the Space for Co-operatives in Addressing Social Challenges 2. Star and Shadow Cinema: A Grassroots Interface between DIY Culture, New Co-operativism and the Commons - Christo Wallers 3. Beyond Green-washing: Sustainable Development and Environmental Accountability through Co-operators’ Eyes (a French Perspective) - François Deblangy 4. Exploring the Role of Worker Co-operatives in the Co-creation of Meaningful Work - Kiri Langmead and Anthony Webster 5. The Promise and Perils of Corporate Governance-by-Design in Blockchain-Based Collectives: The Case of dOrg - Morshed Mannan 6. ‘Our Club, Our Community, Our Future’: Co-operation, Deindustrialization and Motherwell Football Club’s Journey to Community Ownership - David Stewart Part 2: Bridges: Co-operative Culture and Education 7. Co-operation for Asset-Based Community Development: The Example of the Community Explorers Project at Leicester Vaughan College - Malcolm Noble 8. Engaging Universities in Capacity Building for a Co-operative Economy - Andrei Kuznetsov and Olga Kuznetsova Part 3: Growth: The Preston Model, Co-operation and Community Wealth Building 9. The Strange Death of Co-operative Britain? Comparing the Development of British Co-operation with Wider European Trends and Emerging Strategies for a 21st-Century Revival - Anthony Webster 10. How Far Can the Co-operative Character Extend? The Sense of Co-operation and Co-operative Councils - Julian Manley and Temidayo Eseonu 11. Community Wealth Building in Preston: Successes and Challenges of Co-operation in Action - Ioannis Prinos 12. ‘Can a Leopard Change Its Spots?’ How the Established Model of the Mondragon Co-operatives Struggles to Adapt to a Changing World - Julian Manley 13. Possibilities and Challenges of the ‘Sorachi Model’: Learning from Preston’s Attempts to Rebuild the Region - Hiroshi Sakai 14. Conclusion: Clues to a Co-operative Future? Julian Manley, Olga Kuznetsova and Anthony Webster
Julian Manley is Professor of Social Innovation at the University of Central Lancashire. Olga Kuznetsova is Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Place Management at Manchester Metropolitan University. Tony Webster is Professor of Business History at Northumbria University.
