Coops in Space Enterprise and Community in the New Regional Economy

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Co-ops in Space Enterprise and Community in
theNew Regional Economy

• Michael Gertler
• Department of Sociology, and
• Centre for the Study of Co-operatives
• University of Saskatchewan
• michael.gertler_at_usask.ca

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Space in co-operative perspective

• What is reshaping economic and social space?
• What do glocalized relations mean for
  member-based organizations?
• Can/do co-ops entertain a distinct calculus of
  space (and time) re location, scale, etc.?
• How do co-ops build sustainable regions?
• Space and time in co-op studies?

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Space

• Can be abstract geometrics, objectified
• Distance, direction, size, shape, volume
• Territories, boundaries
• Transport costs, coverage issues, location
• Socially constructed, experienced from a situated
  perspective
• Influential, not determining or absolute
• Related to place (watch for a settler bias)

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Place

• Specific geographic location a material reality
  with artefacts and people invested with meanings
  
• Places are doubly constructed
• Mediate social life, stabilize and give
  durability to social arrangements, norms,
  identities, memories, values
• Can spawn or discourage collective action

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Reorganization of regions/regional economies
reflects...

• Globalization, neoliberal reregulation
• Restructuring of firms, industries, and markets
• Restructuring of local governments, public
  services, development authorities
• Efforts by individuals to locate sustainable
  livelihoods, serviceable communities

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What has changed in region and community?

• New rural ßàurban links
• Rising inequalities within/between regions
• Rapid growth, absolute/relative decline
• New infrastructure, loss of infrastructure
• New competition
• Long-distance communications, greater reach for
  some
• Glocalized relations

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What else has changed in region and community?

• Space-time compression
• Increased mobility and circulation of capital,
  goods, people
• Migration?increasing diversity
• New standards, expectations, concerns, values,
  perspectives, identities
• Emergent/contested forms of community

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Space in co-operative perspective

• Issues vary with sector, markets, context, scale
  of co-op
• Space issues enter with mergers, acquisitions,
  strategic alliances, as well as relocation,
  expansion, closure decisions
• Co-ops connected with older spatial economy, now
  overlayered by new spatial arrangements
• Old spatial patterns, habits, rivalries linger

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Space in co-operative perspective

• Co-ops differentially affected by transport
  infrastructure rationalization, deregulation
• Takes effort to integrate new territory/ members
  into a co-op, and into a co-ops identity
• Co-ops pay a high price (in terms of member
  relations) for some kinds of mobility

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Space in co-operative perspective

• Co-ops operate in contexts dominated by
  competitive market relations, non-
  co-operative enterprise, and by neoclassical
  economic models for conceptualizing and
  evaluating decisions.
• Space has a history and the history of many
  co-ops includes organizing to provide services
  not otherwise available in a particular
  localewhich suggests a different calculus.

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Space in co-operative perspective

• Co-op spatial praxis is linked to questions of
  competition, identity, membership, and community.
  
• Co-operatives have a rooted quality in that
  members generally organize/join as a result of
  shared activity in shared space
• For a co-op, space is complicated by the
  concerns of place

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Space in co-operative perspective

• Members may consider the co-op to be a part of
  their own physical and social infrastructure, and
  will be loath to accept a narrow cost calculus as
  a rationale for relocation, closure, or reduction
  of service.
• Communities have long memories and the co-op
  will not be easily forgiven if it moves in a
  manner that is viewed as inimical to the
  interests of local members.

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Corporations in space...

• Corporations can be highly diversified
  geographically and sectorally controls risks
• Corporations liquid, labile, mobile
• Can bargain harder with governments, labour,
  producers (co-ops seen to be anchored)

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Corporations in space...

• Corporations tend to be virtual re communities
  nobody knows provenance of capital, destination
  of profits, criteria for location decisions
• Operate in a climate of low expectations re
  transparency, loyalty, reinvestment,
  responsibility/accountability ? flexibility,
  mobility

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Working co-operatively with space

• Co-operation among co-ops
• Federations, centrals, associations
• Collaboration with allied actors (development
  NGOs, fair trade networks)
• Partner in regional branding, development
• Develop and document co-op capacity re
  sustainable local development
• Connect with new place-based concerns,
  communities, constituencies, identities

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Sustainable places and co-ops

• Network for information, knowledge, wisdom
• Foster diversity in perspectives, contributions,
  styles, projects, organizational arrangements
• Develop individual and collective skills,
  competencies, capacities
• Promote positive, non-coercive forms of social
  integration/inclusion
• Support new visions, goals, standards

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Sustainable places and regions

• Promote equitable participation, real
  partnerships
• Feature democracy, transparency, accountability
• Share benefits and burdens, promote reciprocity,
  trust
• Think holistically like citizens, owners,
  residents, stewards, partners, homemakers, not
  simply as investors, customers, managers, or
  employees

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Studying co-ops in space

• Theorizing a co-operative working landscape
• Location theory as if co-op principles,
  enterprise/organization characteristics matter
• Co-op spatiality and spatial praxis
• Mapping co-ops e.g. changing territory re
  members, employees, suppliers, patrons,
  competitors, alliances, affiliations