Developing Successful Worker Co-Operatives

By Jenny Lewis, Alan Thomas, Roger Spear

During the last few years there has been a dramatic resurgence of interest in worker co-operatives, fuelled by a rapid increase in their numbers. Developing Successful Worker Co-Operatives discusses this recent phenomenon, showing how with the right procedures, attitudes and conditions, co-operatives can succeed as viable businesses, while contributing to the solution of some of the most important economic and social problems of our day. By contrasting successful with less successful co-operatives, the authors identify the factors that are necessary for healthy co-operative development and the main difficulties facing them. This volume demonstrates how co-operatives can perform on equal terms with other forms of commercial organization despite the challenges faced from operating in an environment not suited to their needs. The authors examine how co-operatives perform in practice as businesses, as places to work and as vehicles for local economic development. They present the first large scale survey of co-operatives′ economic performance, a survey of co-operative support organizations and detailed case studies of co-operatives of different types. Finally, they evaluate the main policy initiatives designed to encourage co-operative development and suggest ways in which these policies could be improved.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803980779
• ISBN13: 9780803980778
• Release Date: December 1988
• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.5" x 5.3"