Home Page - Cooperative Principles PLUS

Cooperatives and mutuals have made tremendous progress since their humble beginnings but despite their universal usage many fail to prosper or are moribund, and many are not achieving their full potential in terms of delivering real benefits to their members. Others have been taken over by self-interested groups or demutualised, while in other cases there is an urgent need to re-establish member-control.

Building upon the existing ICA Cooperative Principles, the aim is to provide a much more robust framework that can guide cooperators in the day-to-day running of their cooperatives. Additionally, to facilitate a much clearer understanding of the true nature of cooperative enterprise, not only on the part of those directly involved in cooperatives but also by policy-makers, educators and the general public. Widespread agreement on the Cooperative Enterprise Model and a new paradigm for developing and sustaining cooperatives worldwide is now needed.

Principles are not enough on their own, successful cooperatives need much more than this, including:

• Clarity as to purpose and function
  

• A viable market intervention strategy
  

• The right form of organization and governance
  

• The necessary policies and practices, and
  

• The management systems to support them.
  

In other words, a comprehensive Cooperative Enterprise Model.

The Cooperative Enterprise Model has been developed based upon the practical application and the study of cooperation in more than 40 different countries over a period of 50 years.