Understanding cooperatives for a better world

PRESS RELEASE

Trento, February 19, 2012

As David Cameron announces new legislation promoting cooperatives, a conference on 15-16 March brings international debate on the issue to Italy

Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron, was the latest politician to turn the spotlight on cooperatives, announcing a few weeks ago that he wants to simplify legislation in the sector to encourage cooperative enterprises. The president of the Alliance of Italian Cooperatives, Luigi Marino, responded promptly: “It is hugely significant that important countries like Great Britain are seeking in cooperation the ability to create a better economy and have the greatest number of people possible share in market success,” he said.

Just what potential does cooperation hold for “a better economy”? The international conference “Promoting the understanding of cooperatives for a better world” will offer an opportunity to explore this and other issues linked to the cooperative world in a fresh and direct way. On 15 and 16 March, 2012, the conference will bring world-renowned economics experts to Venice, including Romano Prodi, former President of the European Commission and Prime Minister of Italy; Sir Partha Dasgupta, Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Cambridge; Pauline Green, President of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA); and Luigi Marino. The conference is organized by Euricse, the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises, ICA, and the Alliance of Italian Cooperatives, with the support of the Ivano Barberini Foundation. The conference will be one of the international events co-hosted by ICA for 2012, the International Year of Cooperatives, and represents a key moment when reflection on the issue of cooperatives can be presented to an international audience.

The conference in Venice will not focus only on the technical and scientific side of the subject. It will also encourage direct interaction between professionals and non-professionals, with informal spaces where people can talk to experts, share their point of view and explore current talking points. These include highly topical issues like cooperatives’ proven resistance to the crisis in terms of numbers and employment, the role of social services cooperatives in providing public welfare (as exemplified by the British “Big Society” concept) and new global trends showing the cooperative form being used to jointly confront difficult situations, from workers taking over failing businesses to people joining together to build their own homes (co-housing) or to bring services to places where traditional companies are not interested in providing them.

The cooperative model focuses attention on workers, sustainability and social well-being, and as traditional economic systems falter, these three factors are being taken into greater consideration.

SPEAKERS

Several world-famous experts have already confirmed their attendance, including Romano Prodi, who
will talk about changes in global scenarios, and Sir Partha Dasgupta, who will explore the new frontiers of cooperation in the economy.

The conference will be divided into four work sessions:
Session I: “Interpreting the roles and economic importance of cooperative enterprises”, with Benedetto Gui (University of Padua, Italy), Henry Hansmann (Yale Law School, USA), Avner Ben-Ner (University of Minnesota, USA), Mattew Ellman (Institute for Economic Analysis, Spain) and Vera Zamagni (University of Bologna, Italy).
Session II: “New opportunities and roles in a changing world”, with Ian MacPherson, (Social Economy Hub, Canada), Johnston Birchall (University of Stirling, UK) and Stefano Zamagni (University of Bologna, Italy).
Session III: “Cooperative growth – potential and limitations”, with Hagen Henrÿ (University of Helsinki, Finland), Hans Münkner (Marburg University, Germany), Michele Grillo (Catholic University, Milan, Italy), Derek C. Jones (Hamilton College, USA) and Panu Kalmi (Vaasa University, Finland).
Session IV: “Exploring both the old and new roles of cooperatives” (part I&II), with Lou Hammond Ketilson (University of Saskatchewan, Canada), Giovanni Ferri (University of Bari, Italy), Virginie Pèrotin (Leeds University Business School, UK), Jacques Defourny (University of Liège, Belgium), Vladislav Valentinov (Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe, Germany), Pier Angelo Mori (University of Florence, Italy), Konrad Hagedorn (Humboldt University, Germany).

Euricse’s Contribution to the International Year of Cooperatives In conjunction with the IYC (International Year of Cooperatives) and in collaboration with ICA, Euricse is running a series of other projects to promote the understanding of cooperatives and raise their profile. They include stories.coop, the first global online initiative designed for cooperatives and their stories, presenting daily accounts of cooperation from around the world, helping share effective solutions to problems and increase awareness among the public about cooperation, and The World Cooperative Monitor, a research project aimed at improving how we measure the success of cooperative enterprises.

For more information
> Aleksandra Bobic – EURICSE Tel. +39 0461 283782 – Mob. +39 346 8830052
Special events for journalists will be organized during the conference.
For more information contact [email protected].

SAVE THE DATE

PROMOTING THE UNDERSTANDING OF COOPERATIVES FOR A BETTER WORLD
15-16 MARCH, 2012
San Servolo, Venice
www.conference2012.euricse.d.gummyindustries.com