A comparison of cooperative ecosystems: what institutions can bring transformation?

Gea D.M. Wijers
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Gea D.M. Wijers: Business Management and Organisation, Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands

Review of Applied Socio-Economic Research, 2019, vol. 18, issue 2, 146-159

Abstract: The social and solidarity economy has become part of serious economic discourse on ‘downsizing’ our economies towards more local and sustainable development. The focus on localizing our consumption, supply, trade, and demand offers a counterpoint to the automated belief in the global market. This article explores the challenges and opportunities for a social and solidarity economy to be built on cooperative organizations by discussing what institutions are vital to the cooperative ecosystem in local and sustainable development. The institutions needed to facilitate cooperatives are addressed in two dimensions. First, what are the internal and external challenges to the cooperative organization as an inclusive social business model? This part of the inquiry distinguishes between cooperatives as either emancipatory or context-dependent organizations. Second, what is, in practice, the role of the institutional context in cooperative business strategy formulation? This section discusses the dichotomy between cooperatives as community-based or market-driven organizations. Findings provide insights into the dynamics that create balance in community-driven ideas, economic ambitions, institutional infrastructures, and the cooperative model. In conclusion, it is suggested that, paradoxically, a strong centralized government is a major determinant of the success of a more localized and sustainable economy.

Keywords: business ecosystems; cooperatives; institutional analysis; Indonesia; Thailand; The Netherlands. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M14 O13 O35 O52 O53 O57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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