Co-operatives the sustainable business model, says ICA Director-General

25 January 2014

ICA Director-General Charles Gould has posted an opinion piece against the backdrop of the World Economic Forum in Davos, ‘Co-operatives the sustainable business model – a view from Davos’, Jan 25 in The Information Daily.

On co-operatives, Mr Gould said:

“Co-operatives are appreciative of governments’ interest in social entrepreneurship. It is a sign that the power of the citizen is recognized, and people’s desire to take action for their own good and improve their autonomy.

However, even after nearly 200 years of giving back to community, co-ops still remain relatively ill-understood within society or even within government services. Regulations for co-operative enterprises remain less developed than those for investment driven enterprise.

At the same time, the Euro crisis, the austerity debate, the fiscal cliff, debt ceiling discussions in the US and Obamacare all show governments’ difficulty to reach agreement and issue laws – while regulatory decisiveness is what is required in crisis times.

Declining social services today are already showing a negative effect on public health and employment.** States should keep up public service to the best they can, and ensure quality of life, security, employment and health care. At the same time, society would benefit from recognition for co-operatives as a complementary, balancing force in society – a third way, between state and investment driven business.”

Source: The Information Daily, Co-operatives the sustainable business model – a view from Davos, 25 Jan