What’s the evidence for cooperatives?

What’s the evidence for cooperatives?

Cooperatives have been the topic of academic study for a very long time. However, much of this is focused on their role in international development. There is relatively little academic study of the impact of cooperatives in the UK. As part of this project a rapid evidence review of the impact of cooperatives was commissioned.

The rapid evidence review found support for cooperative businesses delivering benefits in job quality, wages, skill development, company longevity, tax contributions and social security reductions, health and well-being outcomes, community pride, local development, and population retention and growth. Different cooperatives will also have specific benefits related to the goods or services they provide.

Useful resources:

There are a number of resources we would recommend drawing from:

• Cooperative Business Impacts: A Realist Evaluation, Dr Catherine Brentnall, Manchester Metropolitan University – full report and 2-page policy briefing.
• The Cooperative and Mutual Economy 2023, Cooperatives UK 2023.
• EO Knowledge Programme, Employee Ownership Association 2023.
• Ending the Monoculture: How Diversity of Business Can Bring Prosperity, Social Enterprise UK.

Beyond these there is a wealth of material available. You can take a browse here:

• Cooperatives UK’s Resources page has lots of material which can be filtered by resource type such as ‘Policy Briefing’ or ‘Research’.
• Social Enterprise UK’s website has a reports page including some evidence reports.
• Power to Change has a number of reports on community business available on the Research and Reports page of their website. Previous research conducted by their Research Institute between 2005-2021 can be found on the Institute for Community Studies’ Repository page.
• The Plunkett Foundation has a reports page on their website with a range of evidence.
• UK Society for Co-operative Studies produces the Journal of Co-operative Studies, an academic peer-reviewed international journal which aims to promote knowledge, research and innovation within the co-operative sector.
• International Co-operative Alliance: produces the World Cooperative Monitor which collects economic, organisational, and social data about cooperatives worldwide. The ICA also has a helpful Facts & Figures
• The National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA) based in the US have developed The ABCs of Co-operative Impact, a shared framework that cooperatives and councils can use to systematically understand whether, to what extent, where, and how cooperatives promote social and economic opportunity in a way that leads to improved health and well-being.