The Hidden Alternative

by Webster, Anthony; Brown, Alyson; Stewart, David; Walton, John K.; Shaw, Linda

• ISBN13: 9789280812121
• ISBN10: 9280812122
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-02-20
• Publisher: United Nations Univ

Summary

The proclamation by the United Nations that 2012 would be the International Year of Co-operatives represents a milestone in the history of the international cooperativemovement. It reflects the growth and renewal of cooperatives globally during the past decade and a half, whether the focus is on financial cooperatives in Britain or producercooperatives across Africa. Cooperatives --businesses or associations equally owned and controlled by the people who use their services --have proved resilient in the wake of the global financial crisis compared with the investorled business and financial companies that have been foundfinancially and morally wanting. The contributors to The Hidden Alternativedemonstrate that cooperation offers a much needed alternative for the organization of economic and social affairs, one that should find its place at the forefront of public and academicdiscussion and policymaking. The book includes chapters on education, fair trade, politics and governance, planning, and sustainability, and on how cooperatives have coped with the global economic crisis. It will be of interest to students and academics and to policymakers who have witnessed the inadequacies of investor-led business models during the global recession.

Table of Contents

Co-Operativism Meets City Ethics: The 1997 Lanica Take-Over Bid for CWS

Values and Vocation: Educating the Co-operative Workforce, 1918û1939

International Perspectives on Co-operative Education

Co-operative Education in Britain During the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries: Context, Identity and Learning

Beyond a Fair Price

Negotiating Consumer and Producer Interests ùA Challenge for the Co-op and Fair Trade

"A Party Within a Party"?

The Co-operative Party-Labour Party Alliance and the Formation of the Social Democratic Party, 1974û1981

The Creation of New Entities: Stakeholders and Shareholders in 19th Century Italian Co-operatives

Co-operatives and Nation-Building in Post-Apartheid South Africa: Contradictions and Challenges

Community, Individuality and Co-operation: The Centrality of Values

An Alternative Co-operative Tradition: The Basque Co-operatives of Mondragón

"A Co-operative of Intellectuals": The Encounter between Co-operative Values and Urban Planning

Government to Governance: The Challenge of Co-operative Revival in India

Minding the GAAP: Co-operative Responses to the Global Convergence of Accounting Standards and Practice

Resting on Laurels? Examining the Resilience of Co-operative Values in Times of Calm and Crisis

Shared Visions of Co-operation at a Time of Crisis: The Gung Ho Story in China's Anti- Japanese Resistance

Conclusion: The Hidden Alternative

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