October 20, 2008
Schram Presents Paper at International Cooperative Alliance Research Conference in Italy
Dr. Susan Schram, vice president for outreach and cooperative programs, presented the paper “Cooperatives: Pathways to Economic, Democratic, and Social Development in the Global Economy” at the recent International Cooperative Alliance Research Conference in Riva del Garda, Italy October 15-18. The paper, developed under the aegis of the Overseas Cooperative Development Council’s Development Committee, was well-received. European Union participants reported using it as a model as they map contemporary cooperative development accomplishments for policymakers.
The conference featured a multidisciplinary approach to cooperatives’ role in international development and was an opportunity for scholars and practitioners to discuss theoretical and empirical insights, to identify areas for new research and to network with cooperative development professionals from many countries. The conference focused on four themes
- the role of cooperatives in developing and transforming countries
- contributions of human sciences in understanding cooperatives
- cooperative and social enterprise concern for the community, including the emergence of new fields of activity
- cooperative social responsibility and social accounting
The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) is an independent, nongovernmental association which represents and serves cooperatives worldwide. Founded in 1895, ICA has 226 member organizations from 87 countries active in all sectors of the economy.
ACDI/VOCA has a long legacy of working in cooperative development. By organizing cooperatives and associations, farmers and entrepreneurs can mobilize capital, pool knowledge, achieve economies of scale and foster vertical integration. They can create greater leverage in the marketplace and policy arena, attract business service providers and more efficiently link to urban and export markets. Our approach is to build on existing structures and to promote diversity and choice. Click here to read the paper (PDF, 568 KB).
