TOPIC 21- STAGE 1-MACRO To assess the extent of the cooperative movement, it is important to refer to the global statistics of the International Cooperative Alliance, whose members include 175 organisations from 65 countries... [ view full abstract ]
TOPIC 21- STAGE 1-MACRO To assess the extent of the cooperative movement, it is important to refer to the global statistics of the International Cooperative Alliance, whose members include 175 organisations from 65 countries worldwide, representing 335 million individual members. Cooperatives are found in all sectors and in all countries, including those that have more differentiated cultures. It must be recognised that there is something universal in cooperatives and cooperative members: there is always a way of doing things to help create a fairer, different and better world underlying economic activity.
A different question is whether the international cooperative movement has made sufficient efforts, or has managed to demonstrate the extent to which cooperatives are appropriate tools to deal with the problems posed by today’s world. In this context, the great challenge is to disseminate cooperative ideas among youth and explain that the philosophy of cooperation allows to combine common interests and those of individual members, ensuring the legitimate right of members to participate arising from the economic democratisation it involves. Many thinkers from different disciplines argue that economic participation (basically by a company’s workforce) creates a true democratic society. This places workers’ participation not at a level of mere labour demand but within the framework of social justice. In addition, the values of the cooperative system (among them, the existence of a genuine participatory democracy) are effective to achieve not only economic goals but also other personal goals such as self-esteem, self-fulfillment or even find a meaning to life. The aim is to explain that, in our societies, the issue of collective identity raises as many problems as that of need. The prevailing individualism, the disappearance of social ties, and the weakening of traditional values (religion, neighbour relations, trade union movement, etc.) have gone against the collective identity. In this regard, cooperative ideas may contribute to shaping a more rewarding and fulfilling lifestyle. Therefore, supporting and disseminating cooperative ideas in universities, through their principles and values, are a firm commitment to promoting entrepreneurship and stable and quality employment. It is also an attempt to link economic growth to social cohesion and a way of doing things to help build a more participatory and democratic world, that is, a fairer, different and better one. This is why the dissemination of cooperative values and principles among youth is an important contribution to building a better world.
