The World Co-operative Monitor

The main goal of the world Co-operative Monitor project is to develop a multi-dimensional database reporting on the socio-economic value and impact of co-operatives both within a global scenario and in their regional and national contexts.

The third edition (October 2014) of the World Co-operative Monitor has revealed that the turnover of the largest 300 co-operatives in the report over the last 3 years has grown by 11.6% to reach 2.2 trillion USD in 2012.

Spanish speaker? A Spanish language executive summary as well as a Spanish language full World Co-operative Monitor version are available for download here. 

The top 300 co-operative and mutual enterprises in the 2014 Monitor account for 2,205.7 billion USD in turnover, of which 165 billion USD is derived from the banking and financial services sector and 1,156.5 billion USD from the insurance and mutual sector. Covering 26 countries, these top 300 co-ops are mainly involved in the insurance sector (46%), the agricultural and food sector (27%) and wholesale and retail trade (20%). Based on turnover, the top co-operative in 2012 was Japanese-based Zenkyoren, an insurer, with a total output of 77.61 USD billion.

How the Monitor benefits your co-operative

Dame Pauline Green, President of the International Co-operative Alliance, at the release of the 2014 Monitor adequately summarizes the benefits of a wide co-operative support for the Monitor: “The importance of the World Co-operative Monitor cannot be understated. Not only is it a crucial tool which we can use to raise the profile of co-operatives to policy-makers and industry professionals, but it also provides an incredibly useful starting point for researchers and academics alike.

The new 2014 version, which is based on data from a wider than ever pool of co-operatives, shows the growth of the largest co-operatives in the world to be sustainable, even in the face of difficult global economic conditions. Before the existence of the Monitor, data on co-operatives was patchy at best, but now we have strong empirical evidence that our movement is a global economic player with an important stake in the world’s economy.

Co-operatives have been given a precious tool which I strongly encourage them to use to demonstrate how important our enterprise model is. It is great that more co-operatives from Asia and Africa have filled in the survey this year, and I hope that even more will take the short amount of time needed to enter their details for 2015’s version.”

Steering committee

MICHELE ANDREAUS (Ph.D. in Business Economics, University of Venice, Italy) is Full Professor of Business Administration, Accounting and Social Accounting at the University of Trento (Italy), and since September 2008 has been the Head of the Department of Computer and Management Sciences (DISA).

CARLO BORZAGA is Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Trento (Italy), Faculty of Economics. He is currently the President of Euricse and chairs the Master’s Programme in Management of Social Enterprises (GIS) at the University of Trento.

MAURIZIO CARPITA is Full Professor of Statistics at the University of Brescia (Italy) and Director of the Research Center ‘Data Methods and Systems’ at the University of Brescia.

PANU KALMI (Ph.D.) is a Professor of Economics at the University of Vaasa (Finland), and is a member of the Academic Think-tank of the European Association of Co- operative Banks.

LOU HAMMOND KETILSON (Ph.D.) is Director of the Centre for the Study of Cooperatives, an interdisciplinary teaching and research unit, and Professor at the Edwards School of Business, University of Saskatchewan (Canada).

AKIRA KURIMOTO is Director of the Consumer Co-operative Institute of Japan and Managing Director of the Robert Owen Association. He served as Chair of the ICA Research Committee (2001–2005) and is Vice Chair of the ICA Asian Research Committee.

SIGISMUNDO BIALOSKORSKI NETO is Full Professor and Academic Coordinator of the Cooperatives Organizations Study Program and of the Center for Organization Studies. He is also a member of the ICA Research Committee. Professor Neto is Director of the Department of Business Administration and Accountancy in the Faculty of Economics of the University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto (Brazil).

SONJA NOVKOVIC is a Professor of Economics at Saint Mary’s University (Canada). Currently, she is the Academic Co-lead of the Measuring the Co-operative Difference Research Network (MCDRN) with the Canadian Co-operative Association.

ELIANE O’SHAUGNESSY is Strategic Advisor, Office of the President of Desjardins Group, and a member of the organizing committee of the 2012 Quebec International Summit of Cooperatives.

GREG PATMORE is Professor of Business and Labour History and Director of the Business and Labour History Group and the Co-operative Research Group in the School of Business, The University of Sydney (Australia). He also chairs the School’s Ethics Committee.

GIANLUCA SALVATORI is Chief Executive Officer of Euricse, since 2009 he is also President and CEO of Progetto Manifattura, a company established by Trentino Region's Government with the mission of re-developing an old industrial site to host an "innovation hub" on geen and clean technologies.

GOPAL N. SAXENA at present is a member on the Board of IFFCO and is the Head of Board, Shares and Cooperative Services Departments at Head Office, New Delhi. He obtained M.Sc (Statistics) degree from University of Rajasthan, Jaipur and Ph.D for his work in Mathematical Statistics. He joined IFFCO on 11.09.1971 and worked in various capacities. He has Specialization in Cooperative Laws including interpretation of Bye- laws & Cooperative Acts.

BARRY W. SILVER has been working as an Executive Vice President at the National Cooperative Bank in Washington, DC, for over three decades in the Corporate Lending Division. Barry has an M.B.A. from American University and has been a cooperative financial consultant for the World Bank and USAID in China and South America. He has a total of 35 years’ experience working with co-operatives.

FREDRICK O. WANYAMA is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the School of Development and Strategic Studies at Maseno University (Kenya). He has served as a consultant for the ILO on many projects on co-operatives and the social economy in Africa.