Researching Co-operatives

Co-operatives for Development
This programme provides research and expertise on co-operatives and international development. Funded by the Department for International Development, the aim is to support and strengthen the contribution that co-operatives make to poverty reduction globally. CfD also provides a focal point for enquiries regarding co-operatives in the developing world.

Co-operative development needs to be informed and shaped by research.

Our aim is to provide high quality research that can contribute to a better understanding of the co-operative sector in the UK and internationally. Co-operatives have been ‘off the radar’ for researchers for some years and there is a great need to rebuild the evidence on co-operatives for practitioners and policy makers alike.

We work with a number of research partners and produce a range of accessible publications which have a wide circulation in the co-operative movement and beyond.

“The current lack of robust and harmonized statistics, including research on cooperatives, makes it difficult to quantify and communicate their impact.” Report of the Secretary General to the UN General Assembly 2009 A/64/132