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Research draft

cooperative

vr.tr.cooperative · SOC.ORG

Let an agent explain cooperatives and their principles, help people find, join or start a cooperative, and describe the legal and financial framework in general terms.

Thing Registry Society, people and institutions

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent explain cooperatives and their principles, help people find, join or start a cooperative, and describe the legal and financial framework in general terms.

An autonomous association of people united voluntarily to meet common economic, social and cultural needs through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise, such as consumer, worker, housing, agricultural, financial and artist cooperatives, operating on principles set by the International Cooperative Alliance.

What it is for: Democratic, member-owned enterprise.

It can be explain cooperative principles and types; find cooperatives and federations; outline steps to start a cooperative; explain governance and member rights.

Distinguishing features

Member-owned

Democratic control

Voluntary and open membership

Principles-based

What it looks like

Not physical; shops, farms, housing and services run by members.

How it is recognised

Member ownership and one member one vote

Registered cooperative status

Companies are owned by shareholders by capital

Related models

is a kind of - category

social enterprise

is a kind of - category

organization

is related to - housing cooperatives

housing

is related to - artisan cooperatives

craft

In practice

Families and kinds

consumer and food cooperatives

worker cooperatives

housing cooperatives

agricultural and producer cooperatives

financial cooperatives and credit unions

Standards and regulation

ICA Statement on the Cooperative Identity

National cooperative laws

ILO Recommendation 193

Failure modes and hazards

Governance failures and member apathy

Undercapitalisation

Demutualisation pressures

Also called

bicycle cooperativestudent housing cooperativeinformation technology centerartist cooperativeHistorical cold storage housesfood cooperativecommunity settlementenergy cooperativesocial cooperativePuerto Carreño Onlinebusiness cooperativeCo-operative SocietysambruksföreningEuropean Cooperative Societystudent co-operativebytové družstvodružstvoforestry cooperativeCooperativas de Créditos y Serviciostransport cooperativeDienstleistungsgenossenschaftBolgarskite Zemedelski Kooperacijcanadian cooperativecooperative societyCooperativaCooperativa de 2º GrauGenossenschaftCo-operativecooperative in Latviacooperative company with unlimited liability with a social purposecooperative society under public lawcivil company in the form of a cooperative company with limited liabilitycooperative company with limited liability under public lawLimited cooperative associationMutual Aid Cooperativespotrebné družstvocoöperatieKoperasidigital cooperativemulti-stakeholder cooperative

+45

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Source repository Registry entry point

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Principles What makes a cooperative.

Principles define it.

Identity

Cooperative principles.

Identity

Principles.

  1. What are the cooperative principles, and how does this organisation apply them? provenance
  2. Is it a genuine cooperative under local law? boundary

Types

Kinds of cooperative.

Types

Types.

  1. What type of cooperative is this, and who are its members? definition
  2. How does it differ from a company or charity? definition
Join Membership.

Members have rights.

Find

Finding cooperatives.

Find

Finding cooperatives.

  1. Which cooperatives operate in this area or sector? provenance
  2. How can someone join? provenance

Rights

Member rights.

Rights

Member rights.

  1. What rights and responsibilities do members have? provenance
  2. How are surpluses distributed? provenance
Start Founding one.

Steps and support.

Steps

Starting a cooperative.

Steps

Starting.

  1. What steps are needed to form a cooperative here, in general terms? provenance
  2. Which support organisations and funding exist? provenance

Legal

Legal form.

Legal

Legal form.

  1. Which legal forms are available, and what do they require? provenance
  2. Is the user asking for legal advice on their own case? boundary
Govern Running well.

Governance matters.

Governance

Boards and meetings.

Governance

Governance.

  1. How should the board and general meeting operate? provenance
  2. How is member participation encouraged? action

Finance

Capital.

Finance

Finance.

  1. How do cooperatives raise capital while keeping member control? provenance
  2. What are the risks of demutualisation? provenance

What the second pass must settle

  • Should each cooperative type be a separate entry?
  • How should federations be linked?
  • How should national laws be localised?
Draft as JSON