Using a stochastic frontier approach, in this paper we analyze the imposition of financial sustainability requirements on the traditional social mission of microfinance--reaching out to the poor. In addition, we ask whether the way ownership is organized and practiced affects the costs of microfinance delivery. Read More
Using a variety of sources, this paper reconstructs the size and proposes an analysis of the economic function of Italian agricultural cooperation, including through a comparison with corporations and with a specific focus on the wine sector. Read More
The World Co-operative Monitor is a project designed to develop a ranking of the biggest co-operatives and mutual organizations worldwide based not only on turnover but also on social value. Read More
By developing a multiple factor analysis (MFA), this paper aims at deepening the understanding of the economic performance and the employment features of social cooperatives in 2008 (before the crisis) and 2011 (after the beginning of the crisis) in order to better understand how the employment and economic performances of such organisations have changed during the years of the economic crisis. Read More
In this paper we use a unique dataset to study how participation in two specific types of nonprofit organizations, namely social welfare associations and social cooperatives, affects individual social capital. Descriptive analysis shows that both types of organizations have a positive impact. Read More
This research, conducted using the traditional method of financial statement indices, concerns the economic and financial performance achieved in the years 2009-2011 by 30 worker cooperatives in the service sector. The cooperatives investigated are medium-sized (turnover 30-50 million euros) and large (turnover over 50 million euros). The results obtained support the thesis that cooperatives exhibit strong resilience in the face of the economic crisis. Read More
Using household survey data from Ethiopia, this paper evaluates the impact of agricultural cooperatives on smallholders’ technical efficiency. We utilize propensity score matching to compare the average difference in technical efficiency between cooperative farmers and similar independent farmers. The approach assumes exogenous cooperative formation and similar farm technology across households. Read More
This paper seeks, first, to measure the intensity of member relationships that connotes BCCs, highlighting their differences at the territorial and size levels and identifying their main determinants. Second, it aims to assess the role of peer monitoring on credit quality by empirically testing the effect of the degree of mutualism on the main indicators of riskiness. Read More
The World Co-operative Monitor is a project launched, with the scientific support of Euricse, by the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA). It is designed to develop a ranking of the biggest co-operatives and mutual organizations worldwide based not only on turnover but also on social value. Read More
This paper contributes to the literature by carrying out the first empirical investigation into the role of different types of enterprises in the creation of social trust. Drawing on a unique dataset collected through the administration of a questionnaire to a representative sample of the population of the Italian Province of Trento in March 2011, we find that cooperatives are the only type of enterprise where the work environment fosters the social trust of workers. Read More
This article presents the main findings of an exploratory study of the social enterprise sector in Switzerland, funded by the National Science Research Fund, focusing on the purpose of job placement of vulnerable people. Read More
This study analyzes the contribution of social cooperatives in Italy at the regional level, highlighting differences related to age and business sectors. It also assesses social cooperative efficiency and profitability by conducting further analysis based on a series of economic and financial ratios. Read More