What is Co-op Studies?

Co-operative Studies is the multi-disciplinary enquiry into the nature of co-operative enterprise, including its intellectual, cultural, economic, and social contexts. It draws on a wide range of disciplines (e.g., Adult Education, Agricultural Economics, Anthropology, Business, Economics, Education, History, Law, Philosophy, Political Science, and Public Administration) and several interdisciplinary fields (e.g., Dispute Resolution, Environmental Studies, Religious Studies, Women’s Studies) to help understand the nature of co-operative enterprise.

Co-operative Studies is particularly concerned with the internal dynamics of the co-operative movement, exploring the nature and diversity of co-operative thought, to this point a weakly develop field of enquiry. It seeks to understand the context of that thought, its articulation in the form of values and principles, and its application through the practices of co-operative organisations. It respects the differences and particular contributions of co-operative enterprise as a form of organized activity that can be compared with other forms but ultimately has – or should have – its claims to uniqueness and worth as well as its own kinds of limitations.

Co-operative Studies also takes an international perspective. Co-operatives exist in virtually all countries around the globe. They therefore reflect different cultural backgrounds and they operate within different economic circumstances. This variety means that there is not one way to conduct co-operative enterprise and that co-operative thought is multi-faceted. Co-operative Studies, therefore, entails comparative analysis across the world and aspires to a deeper understanding of the roles that co-operatives play within the world…and how those roles can be improved and expanded.