Resilience of the Cooperative Business Model in Times of Crisis

10 June 2009

The financial and ensuing economic crisis has had negative impacts on the majority of enterprises; however, cooperative enterprises around the world are showing resilience to the crisis. Financial cooperatives remain financially sound; consumer cooperatives are reporting increased turnover; worker cooperatives are seeing growth as people choose the cooperative form of enterprise to respond to new economic realities. This report provides historical evidence and current empirical evidence that proves that the cooperative model of enterprise survives crisis, but more importantly that it is a sustainable form of enterprise able to withstand crisis, maintaining the livelihoods of the communities in which they operate. It further suggests ways in which the ILO can strengthen its activity in the promotion of cooperatives as a means to address the current crisis and avert future crisis.

Rural women producers and cooperatives in conflicts settings in the Arab States

31 March 2009

Ongoing violent conflicts accentuate the challenges that women and men face in the rural areas of Iraq, Lebanon, and the occupied Palestinian territories. The potential of cooperatives for sharing risk, pooling resources, learning together, generating income, and balancing work and family responsibilities, has yet to be actualized.

Cooperating out of poverty: The renaissance of the African cooperative movement

02 February 2009

This book offers an objective analysis of the state of affairs of the cooperative sector in Africa since the liberalization of the economy in the early 1990s.

Helping micro and small enterprises cope with HIV/AIDS - A handbook for small business associations and service providers

01 January 2007

This handbook attempts to respond to the needs and constraints of small and micro enterprises, formal or informal, by providing practical guidance for those who regulate, advise and support them. The objectives of the handbook are to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on micro and small enterprise owners, managers and workers and to offer policy and technical guidance to the individuals and institutions that provide support and services to small businesses.

Leadership training manual for women leaders of cooperatives

05 October 2005

Guidelines for cooperative legislation, second revised edition

01 February 2005

Provides guidance on how to draft a cooperative law.

Cooperatives in Asia. From reform to reconstruction

09 July 2001

Comprises a collection of 16 papers divided into four parts covering the response of Asian cooperatives to external threats such as globalization and the Asian financial crisis; public policies on cooperative development; the relationships between primary cooperatives and the federal strucure; and cooperative support services.

Managing the cooperative difference

18 April 2000

A survey of the application of modern management practices in the cooperative context