Difference between revisions of "Cooperative rights"

Revision as of 03:05, 4 December 2008

Since they were first organized in the 19th century, cooperatives have flourished into many types of applications in capitalist society. Some of the more familiar and common types of cooperatives are the credit unions, retailers' coops, agricultural coops (including the Israeli kibbutzim and moshavim) and the utility cooperative, while the lesser known types include the food cooperatives and the DIY spaces.

The concept of voluntary, democracy-based capitalist institutions has evolved into the field of economic studies known as cooperative economics, which studies the impact of democratic decision making in (and outside of) business institutions; it has also long enjoyed popularity among anarchists, socialists and communists (both statist and non/anti-statist).

However, what has not been fully explored is the strength of relations between the concepts of cooperatives and civil rights. Is there such a thing as cooperative rights, and what would they constitute?

Scope of cooperative rights

A few basics can already be established for what the scope of cooperative rights could cover:

• The rights of the individual member of the coop.
• The rights of (autonomous) organizations who utilize the cooperative's services and participate in the governance of the coop, including unions and interest groups.
• Judicial review within the cooperative.

Levels of influence

Main article: Users in the coop

Another issue which may need to be resolved is the particular commons that has rights to democratic control and decision-making in the coop, including whether or not the non-paying, non-contributing user can be accounted as a source of influence and governance.