Cooperative Enterprises is the first textbook to examine the evolution of the cooperative enterprise model and the contribution that cooperatives can make to the economy and society.
It provides an accessible overview of the subject, looking at history, cooperative models, theories, legislation, and governance. Cooperative Enterprises takes an international approach throughout, drawing on examples from cooperatives from across the globe. The book offers a valuable historical perspective, placing cooperatives within their political, social, cultural, and economic contexts since the Industrial Revolution. It analyses and compares the cooperative law of 26 jurisdictions and showcases key defining moments for cooperative enterprises, cooperative development models, cooperative‑specific good practice standards, and compares the cooperative model with the private enterprise model, giving readers a comprehensive view of the subject. The book also demonstrates that cooperatives correct the market, complement the role of the state, support local economic development, reduce income and wealth inequalities, promote social cohesion, and promote economic democracy. Students are supported with a range of pedagogical features, including case studies, tables, figures, chapter summaries, and discussion questions to encourage critical thinking.
This is the ideal textbook for undergraduate and postgraduate courses on cooperative studies, and will also be an illuminating resource for students, researchers, and policymakers interested in social enterprise, business history, economic history, corporate governance, economic democracy, and community development.
Chapter 1: Introduction. Chapter 2: Cooperative Enterprise: 1750–1914. Chapter 3: Cooperatives, Monopolies, and the State: 1915–1945. Chapter 4: Cooperatives, Mixed Economy, and Decolonisation: 1945–1990. Chapter 5: Cooperatives and the Global Economy since 1990. Chapter 6: Legislation. Chapter 7: Cooperatives and the Market. Chapter 8: Governance. Chapter 9: Cooperatives and Private Enterprises. Chapter 10: Cooperatives and Globalisation
Biography
Piero Ammirato is an Honorary Fellow at Deakin University. He completed his doctorate on cooperative studies at the University of Adelaide in 1994. Piero taught politics at the University of Adelaide, held positions of director of cooperatives and community organisations, and worked as a manager of research and a principal policy adviser in the Victorian public service. His previous publications include La Lega: The Making of a Successful Cooperative Network (1996) and The Growth of Italian Cooperatives: Innovation, Resilience and Social Responsibility (2018).
