Cooperativism at Work : Worker-owned Cooperatives Across the World

The first of its kind, this book shows that enterprises owned and managed by their own staff as cooperatives, estimated to be over 300,000 in the world and to employ over 15 million people, can be economically sustainable in the long term and substantially contribute to community development. Comprising 26 case studies, the book showcases how by providing membership and control to worker-member-owners and promoting community empowerment, worker-owned cooperatives have built sustainable businesses and fostered democratic decision-making across various sectors and geographies.The analysis emphasises the importance of education and training, capital accumulation facilitated by supportive regulatory frameworks and inter-cooperative systems (networks, agencies, federations and peer groups), and the role of worker cooperativism in promoting equality, community development and environmental sustainability.Worker and social cooperatives are well-positioned to address global challenges by promo