Annual Report 2009 - Homepage - Euricse Euricse to manage complex planning where the skills and...

2009

AnnualReport

2 Euricse - Annual Report

Contents

�Titolo capitolo

Who we are, What we do 6

Research 26

Consulting �6

Where we have been 42

Training 46

Dissemination 52

People and organization 60

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Dear Reader,

This annual report is important for at least two reasons. First, because it is the first one, and thus lays the groundwork for

future editions. Second and most important, because it is the re-port of a crucial phase for Euricse, telling the story of the transition from an idea to implementation. This was a fundamental passage that, while not simple, was filled with stimuli and responded to many challenges. The first of these challenges was cultural. The idea of creating an international research centre on cooperatives and social enterprises was proposed at a time in which these types of firms were not at the forefront. It was also before the current financial crisis (which is now also economic and social in nature) revealed the inherent limits of an economic model that favours the maximisation of profit to equality and the conservation of environ-mental, human, and social resources. Now, in a context in which advocating for a “biodiversity” of business models is more com-mon, the cultural project that is Euricse is even more valid, and it is even more urgent to invest in it and its development, as dis-cussed in the Philosophy of Euricse document found in the pages below. The second challenge is related to the collaborative nature of this project. Euricse was created in a way common to coopera-tive and social enterprises: engaging multiple entities (universities, local public agencies, international federations, local firms, etc.) and attracting diverse resources which allowed the organisation to accumulate significant capital and human resources in a short time, as well as develop professional and trust relationships with numerous scholars and other research institutes. These assets will help us face, with relative security, the third and most important challenge – that of investing the resources in research, training, and consulting activities that will allow us to reach our goal of ensuring that social enterprises and cooperatives represent an im-portant asset within every sector and context for the creation of a new paradigm of development where the production of wealth is sustainable, so-cially cohesive and equitably distributed. To pursue such an important goal, dur-ing the course of this first year we made some key decisions at the organisational and governance levels. The organisation must have the capacity to interact with diverse stakeholders, responding to their needs and interests. Further, it must be able to manage complex planning where the skills and language of the scientific community can interact with the experience of practitioners who manage coop-erative and social enterprises.

With this hope, we wish you good reading.

Carlo Borzaga (Euricse President) and Gianluca Salvatori (CEO)

Introduction


Who we are What we do

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�Titolo capitolo

Euricse (European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises) is a research centre designed to promote knowledge development and innovation for the field of cooperatives, social enterprises, commons and nonprofit organizations. Euricse was founded in 2008 by Cooperatives Europe, the Federazione Trentina della Cooperazione (Trentino Federation of Cooperatives), the Fon-dazione Cassa di Risparmio di Trento e Rovereto (Trento and Rove-reto Bank Foundation), the Province of Trento and the University of Trento. While Euricse is rooted in the Italian region of Trentino and is closely connected to the organizations that operate there, its ac-tivities address issues of national and international interest, and its approach favours openness and collaboration with other research centres, both domestically and internationally.

Euricse by the numbers10 Research projects underway l � Completed research projects l 2 Mo-

bility projects l 4 Consulting projects l �0 Italian and foreign scholars col-

laborating on research and training activities l 84 Institutional, ordinary, and

associate members l 11 Students in the Master Programme in Management

of Social Enterprises l 10 Ph.D. students, 5 with Euricse scholarships l 8

Visiting professors and researchers l 16 Staff members l Over 60 external

collaborators l 1 International conference l 6 Seminars


The most important document produced by Euricse in 2009, which will ac-company the development of the organization over the following years, is now known as “The Philosophy” of the centre. Some excerpts of this document are presented below. The first part is an analysis of the economic context and main evolutions of the study of the models of firms and reasons for the marginality of cooperatives and social enterprises. The second part, rather, proposes some paths for research that would value the role of varied forms of enterprise and, broadly speaking, contribute to creating a new model of economic and social development.

Philosphy: guiding principles for the study of cooperative and social enterprises

The studies on cooperatives and social enterprises, at the national and inter-national level, are characterized by a contradiction between the contentions put forward, explicitly or otherwise, by the predominant theories and what is actual-ly happening in the world. On the one hand, an increasing number of empirical investigations show that such enterprises perform a significant and sometimes growing economic and social role in a variety of sectors and in many countries. Just as importantly, they often achieve economic and social outcomes that are better than those achieved by conventional enterprises and public institutions. On the other hand, though, the predominant theoretical approaches (especially in economics) tend to ignore or deny these results.

There are several reasons for this contradiction. The main one seems to be the difficulty of reconciling the features of these forms of enterprise with the hypotheses (if not the value judgments) underlying the dominant theories. The predominant economic, sociological and legal models developed during the 1900s (which underlie the institutions on which the modern economic and so-cial systems are based) rely on a set of assumptions that include the prevalence of self-interested behaviour and the self-regulatory capacity of markets. These assumptions privilege institutional forms that are often incompatible with the ones that characterize cooperative and social enterprises. These organizations are based on motivations, behaviours, and principles (such as solidarity, reci-procity and direct participation in management) which are quite different from the ones underpinning other businesses. This difference between the dominant theoretical approaches and the characteristics of social and cooperative enter-prises explains not only the difficulties in the analysis of these forms of enter-prise, but also why so many people consider them outdated.

The underestimation of the role of cooperative and social enterprises has also been reinforced by the fragmented and often too descriptive nature of much of the research conducted on this topic, by the ideological approach adopted by many studies, and by the limitations that arise from considering only specific sectors or geographic areas. The lack of shared objectives among the community of researchers and research organizations that work on coopera-tives and social enterprises has also played a role.

In recent years, profound changes in the socio-economic context (ranging from globalization to changes in the labour market to the evolution of social

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needs) contributed to the questioning of the conventional wisdom and paved the way for the development of new reflections and interpretations, including in regard to cooperatives and social enterprises.

Cooperatives and social enterprises in a new economic system

The current economic crisis has made such rethinking even more necessary and urgent. Indeed, the economic downturn has stimulated a search for organi-zational and economic models that are different from those that predominated in recent decades, which were essentially based on market fundamentalism. Further, it has already helped identify some of the directions in which such re-thinking should move. Several social scientists are already arguing that, in the words of Joseph Stiglitz, “a massive rethinking of the role of the government and of the market” is necessary, not only to propose large-scale public inter-ventions in the economy, but also to recast the role traditionally assigned to the various types of enterprises. Stiglitz argues that it is necessary “to find a balance between markets, government, and other institutions, including not-for-profits and cooperatives,” with the objective of building “a plural economic system with several pillars to it”. The same thesis has been put forward by other authors, who claim that, in the words of Ralf Dahrendorf, cooperative and social enterprises are one of the four pillars on which a solution of the crisis should be based. From a different point of view, Partha Dasgupta maintains that the cooperative movement can provide interesting ideas for the renewal of the re-lationship between capital and labour needed to cope with the expected de-mographic growth. More in general, several scholars argue, like Amartya Sen, that the economic crisis requires us to rethink the organization of the economic system and to seek a new balance among institutions, and that cooperative and social enterprises can make an important contribution in this regard.

A clear connection is thus emerging between the nature of the economic crisis, the need to rethink the ways in which economic and social systems work, and the discourse on the role of organizations and enterprises that pursue goals other than profit. Affirming economic pluralism means abandoning the prefer-ence for a single type of enterprise – the one driven by profit maximization – and instead asserting the value of diversity. The diverse motivations and values on which the different enterprise types are based thus become a resource and as-sume an economic and social importance hitherto little recognized. However, in order to fully appreciate this resource, it is necessary to significantly rethink the economic and institutional order and the underlying interpretative approaches.

Euricse’s mission

Euricse’s objectives include contributing to this rethinking, particularly with regards to the analysis of the nature, features and roles of the different enter-prise types.

In order to innovatively rethink the role of cooperative and social enterprises, Euricse chose to reverse the research strategy which has inspired most of the scientific analysis of these topics. Instead of interpreting these organization-al and entrepreneurial forms and their economic and social role by means of

Who we are, What we do


models developed for other purposes (and therefore generally based on hy-potheses not fully compatible with their specific features), Euricse intends to prioritize the development of new models and theories that are based on the principles and values that are specific to these organizations.

The scientific project that derives from this inversion in perspective must ne-cessarily start from a view of economic systems as characterized by a plurality of organizations and enterprises with diverse goals. These organizations can ei-ther compete or collaborate with each other when their objectives are aligned.

In order to achieve these objective, Euricse has made significant choices that inform its activities. These choices concern three main dimensions: the subject, the methodological framework, and the relational system.

Regarding the subject, Euricse chose to focus not on a single enterprise type, but on the universe of enterprises and organizations that pursue aims other than profit. In doing so, it will seek to highlight, primarily in theoretical terms, all of the features they have in common.

With respect to the methodology, Euricse combines empirical and theoretical research, diverse approaches and disciplines, case studies and sector analyses. The Institute aims primarily to develop and sustain comparative theoretical and em-pirical research, prioritizing projects that test hypotheses that are consistent with Euricse’s overall research mission. Secondly, Euricse favours a multidisciplinary per-spective by promoting and undertaking research in different scientific domains and by encouraging comparison and exchange among different disciplines (particularly those with interpretative purposes and those concerned with the regulation of the activities of social enterprises and their relations with other actors). Moreover, Eu-ricse prioritizes an analytic approach which is not overly constrained by how existing organizations are regulated in different countries. Rather, its approach pays atten-tion to their defining characteristics, thereby enabling a critical assessment of the adequacy of current regulations and then proposing policy changes that may en-able these types of enterprises to operate more efficiently and effectively.

Within this design, the development of relational system including partner-ships with researchers with different training and backgrounds is of strategic importance. To this end, Euricse intends to encourage collaboration among re-search centres (particularly within the EU) by carrying out joint research projects and dissemination activities.

The full document is available on Euricse’s website: http://www.euricse.eu/about/mission.

ReadingsMoving Beyond Market Fundamentalism to a more Balanced Economy, an article by

Joseph Stiglitz published in the Annals of Public and Cooperative EconomicsEconomics: A Very Short Introduction, a book by Partha Dasgupta published by Oxford

University PressSocial enterprise: An international overview of its conceptual evolution and legal imple-

mentation, an article by Giulia Galera and Carlo Borzaga published in the Social Enterprise Journal.

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GovernanceThe following are the governing bodies of the Institute.

The President is elected by the Board of Institutional Members based on a nomination by the Rector of the University of Trento. The President convenes and presides over the Board of Institutional Members, the Steering Commit-tee and the Management Committee and is the legal representative of the Foundation.

The Board of Institutional Members is composed of the legal representa-tives of the Institutional Members or their delegates. The Board decides on: matters concerning change to the Statute; dissolution of the Foundation; and appointment of the President, Vice President, members of the Management Committee, and members of the Advisory Board.

The Steering Committee consists of representatives from all the Institutio-nal and Ordinary Members and performs the general function of exercising di-rection and control over the centre’s activities. In particular, it is responsible for decisions regarding approval of multi-year planning documents, appointment of the Board of Auditors, and approval of the proposed and actual budgets.

The Management Committee is composed of the President and three to eight members elected by the Board of Institutional Members. The tasks of this Committee include: deciding on matters concerning the activities of Euricse in pursuit of its aims, deliberating on the admission of new members on the basis of the regulations approved by the Steering Committee, defining the organi-zation’s structure, deliberating on any action concerning assets and financial matters, and appointing a Scientific Committee. The current composition of the Management Committee is as follows:



President Carlo Borzaga

Management Committee Vice President Diego Schelfi

CEO Gianluca Salvatori

Management Committee Members: Giorgio Fracalossi, Diego Loner, Michele Odorizzi, Felice Scalvini, Eleonora Stenico.

The Board of Auditors is composed of three members nominated by the Steering Committee. The Board is responsible for supervision of the Euricse’s administrative management, as well as compliance with the law and with the Statute. The current composition of the Board of Auditors is as follows:

President Pompeo Viganò

Board of Auditors Members: Andrea Giovanardi, Giovanni Nicolussi

The function of the Advisory Board is to ensure that the activities undertak-en by the Institute are consistent with its statutory purposes and of an adequate scientific quality. In particular, the Steering Committee relies on the Advisory Board for advice concerning the research to be undertaken or promoted by Euricse, and to validate the results obtained. The current composition of the Advisory Board is as follows:

Sir Partha Dasgupta, Frank Ramsey Professor of Economics and Fellow of St. Johns College - University of Cambridge.

Jacques Defourny, Full Professor at the Université de Liege.

Stefano Zamagni, Full Professor at the Università di Bologna.

Alban D’Amours.

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New paradigms for a “new” economyInterview with Partha Dasgupta, Advisory Board member

Professor Sir Partha Sarathi Das-gupta is the Frank Ramsey Profes-sor of Economics at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, and a fellow of St. John’s College, Cam-bridge. He was born in Dhaka, Bang-ladesh. His research interests have covered welfare and development economics; the economics of tech-nological change; population, envi-ronmental, and resource economics; game theory; and the economics of undernutrition. We asked him a few questions at the Euricse Advisory Board meeting on October 2�rd, 2009 and he once again proved to be a very stimulating speaker. Below are some excerpts from this interview; the entire version of the interview can be found on Euricse’s YouTube chan-nel at http://www.youtube.com/user/EURICSE.

The theme of environmental sus-tainability is attracting the interest of policy-makers worldwide. Envi-ronmental sustainability is increa-singly regarded as an important way whereby development can be supported (for example through “green jobs”). What relation exists between policies of sustainability and nonprofit initiatives, coopera-tives and social enterprises that are developing in various countries?

It’s a very good question. I can only give you an answer from the prospec-tive of poor countries, which is what I know best. Reflecting on the question, it is best to work backwards. You’ve asked about profits and so, nonprofit. I think there’s something key out here because, for the market to work well, or approximately well, profits of firms should be, roughly speaking, in line

with social profits, not just private profits. Of course, the private firm is concerned with private profit. The question is, is the private profit ap-proximately the social profit of the activities of the firm? By social profit I don’t mean anything metaphysical, I mean something very, very straight-forward. I mean profits that would ac-crue to the firm if it was paying for all the costs of production. Now, in a con-temporary world, a great deal of our activities are not marketed, even in a market situation. They are not priced, in fact. Many commodities that firms use are not paid for. It could be water in one place because the water is free.

It could be electricity, which is subsi-dized in India, for example, amongst farmers. But most important, interest-ingly, is the carbon dioxide you emit into the atmosphere - you are not be-ing charged for it, but that’s a cost. That’s a cost because it induces cli-mate change, which we currently be-lieve is not a very good thing. So the profits that a firm records in its profit statement are an overestimate of the



true profits that should be there if the markets were working well; if there was a price for the carbon it emits or the effluent that it generates and dumps into the lakes or rivers. So the first thing to notice is that the ques-tion regarding sustainability is deeply connected to the fact that many inputs in the production of goods and serv-ices are un-priced. Firms don’t have to pay for them, even though they are scarce goods. So they use too much - the atmosphere is used too much as a sink for carbon; the lakes and oceans are too frequently used as dumping grounds because nobody has to pay to dump stuff into the open seas. It’s very hard to monitor it by the way, be-cause who is going to go around fol-lowing a ship?

The second thing to notice is that at the small level nonprofit organiza-tions are very often called “commu-nities”, and in poor countries, in vil-lages, communities have managed their local resources in a communitar-ian way as opposed to having them privatized and then allowing private enterprises to operate. I’m thinking now of local forests, rivers, grazing land and so forth. They are commu-nal property. And their management has not been conducted through pri-vate firms, or manipulations of private firms or even the state; it’s typically, or used to be typically, the local commu-nity. So those are of course nonprofit. They don’t call themselves nonprofit, we just use expressions like “commu-nitarian”, or “rural enterprises” and so forth. So the answer to your question, in my judgment, is “a heck of a lot”, because either you do it through com-munitarian institutions or nonprofit organizations or, if its profit-making firms, alter their profits through taxes to bring their profits in-line with social profits. So there is a deep connection

in my judgment between sustainable development (meaning “nature”, which is underpriced mostly) and nonprofit activities.

What is your opinion concerning the scientific quality of research on nonprofit organizations, social and cooperative enterprises? Is there a solid theoretical paradigm that can be regarded as an alternative to the mainstream approach? What are the most promising fields?

I have a hard time answering that question because, on the whole, in my forty years as a researcher, I’ve been methodologically conserva-tive, but I have been very non-con-servative in terms of the questions I ask. Being a subject which has had such great minds developing it (like Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Malthus, John Stuart Mill and, more recently, Kenneth Arrow), the methods devel-oped are probably pretty good be-cause these are outstanding minds. So I’m not sure it’s that we don’t have the tools or we have the wrong tools. I think on the whole we’ve of-ten asked the wrong questions. Or put it this way, we have continued to ask questions which have become very boring. Whereas there are some phenomenally difficult questions to answer, which either we are scared to ask (because we don’t know how to answer them) or sometimes, it has to be acknowledged, politics gets in the way and we don’t want to ask them because it’s awkward. I can’t imagine that there weren’t very bright people in the seventies, eighties, and nineties (young people) who were not doing seriously interesting work. I can imag-ine that many of them were doing ex-tremely boring work, largely because it was tailored to the culture where promotions would be easier and so forth. The incentives in many ways

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were wrong, but they were wrong not because mathematics is too powerful in economics. I don’t believe it’s that. It is not math, it is that ideology gets in the way. In the eighties it was very dif-ficult. For example, in the early eight-ies I started working on what turned out to be some of my best work - on the pathways by which people be-come very poor, and remain poor: poverty traps. Question: “can people fall into a poverty trap”? I was con-vinced they could, and I had a very good mathematical model showing it. But it was a problem that simply was not taken seriously in the eco-nomic development field, although sub-Saharan Africa was going down the tube and yet, poverty traps were not really acknowledged as a possi-ble, viable pathway. People were will-ing to acknowledge that Africa was in deep trouble, that people were very poor, but they were describing it and then saying “the way to handle this is for them to turn liberal – to have liberal economic policies”. The pos-sibility that there may be some forces at work (and I don’t mean Martian forces), literally pathways by which people fall into traps, was not really acknowledged. This was a time when trickle-down theory was very promi-nent (trickle-down means that if you go for growth, that growth will then filter down to the poorest). Now, I wanted to argue that even if that happens you could still have people locked in there. This was in the early eighties, so I was absolutely alone – with only two or three people, one co-author of mine and a few others, who took poverty traps very seriously. It was not until about fifteen years later that poverty traps started to be taken seriously amongst mainstream economists. Now it’s not because I was a Marxist, I wasn’t, nor because I wasn’t using the proper tools, I was

- I’m a mathematical economist. But it was the questions and the way I was posing them; they were not felt to be justified.

So I wouldn’t think, in the con-text that you are talking about, that we have to re-do economics. I think we have to ask the questions. And we have hugely neglected coopera-tive enterprises in recent decades, although there was a literature on the labour managed economy in the sixties or seventies. But it sort of fell by the wayside, partly because there were some important questions that were raised: do people have the right incentives in a labour managed economy, and will they not be weed-ed out through lack of capital? Why would people invest in labour man-aged economies if parts of the re-turn on investment go to somebody else? That was a standard argument, and it’s an important argument. But instead of then asking whether non-profit organizations could be made to be viable, and what is needed to make them viable and what might be the reasons a society might en-courage their development to com-plement the profit-making firms and make them viable, these questions were not asked. Because the pre-sumption was that if it was slightly costly to make them viable, then we shouldn’t touch it. So I would say that there are a lot of questions that we ought to be posing now, and maybe we will, because this last crisis has been a real eye-opener to many people who felt this was the only way to go about things.



Institutional membersDavide Bassi, rector of the University of Trento

Developing research activities from an international and multidisciplinary perspective pertaining to cooperative and social enterprises and non-profit organizations; conducting training; promoting and sustaining these organiza-tions, including by raising awareness and offering tools for economic policy-makers – these are the main objectives that inspired the creation of a Euro-

pean research centre in Trento, Euricse. An Institute that arose as the expansion of the experience developed by Issan, and to which the University of Trento gave full support, for here in this region, that for decades has been a laboratory for the co-operative movement, an important scientific examination has begun anew. This approach analyses cooperative and social en-terprises from a perspective of economic pluralism: in addition to the traditional dualistic vision of the market and the state, this approach identifies a new actor emerging with great dyna-mism, especially in the wake of the economic crisis, due to its capacity to contribute to the economic and social development of a region.

The research begun by Euricse intends to show not just the strengths, but also the weaknesses of such organizations in order to develop suggestions for improvements as well as promote further awareness of the sector and its po-tential among policy-makers. The elements that make Euricse’s scientific activ-ity stand out, in addition to its methodological approach, are its international perspective, multidisciplinary approach, and above all, its plans to create a network of research centres working in the same sector, mainly in Europe. This philosophy has clear parallels with the strategic vision of the University: in-ternationalization, yet with strong ties to our region; recognizing the value of young researchers; dissemination of scientific research results in the academic sphere, and more.

This initiative thus stands out due to its broad and ambitious objectives. Having completed the creation of the organizational foundation, Euricse has been able to begin its work, both in training, with the organization of semi-nars, and above all, through its scientific activities, which also include young re-searchers. One important activity was the conference last summer that brought scholars from �6 countries to Trento to meet with European and international partners, creating a synergy between various research centres and bringing forward new ideas, such as the planning of an international masters-level pro-gramme, the creation of an observatory on cooperation and social enterprise in Europe, and the eventual publishing of an on-line journal. These are just some of the tools the Institute has recently proposed.

The results will certainly be forthcoming and will confirm Euricse’s capacity to be a point of reference for those interested in the field, not just in the academic sector, highlighting the value of this region’s experience and turning it into an opportunity for research, development and discussion at the European and in-ternational levels.

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Lorenzo Dellai, president of the Autonomous Province of Trento

The creation of Euricse was anticipated not only by agencies and institutions, but by the whole Trentino community. Referring to an international academic research centre in this way might seem like an exaggeration, but it is the truth. This is because studying cooperative and social enterprises means studying the organisations that our community is built on, helping them manage the transitions of recent times and, we hope, face the challenges of today. These enterprises consti-tute an economic and trust capital of great importance that was amassed through the decades with great patience and perse-verance and that, in this phase, must be reinvested. In order to do so, though, we need a knowledge base that recognizes the specific characteristics and distinctive advantages of these en-terprises. There is also a specific direction in which to move: the reacquisition, on the part of our communities, of their natural resources. Soil, water, environment and landscapes are public goods that can be managed in innovative ways. After all, if the Dolomites have been recognized by UNESCO as a World Herit-age property, it is also because of civic uses and other commu-nity institutions that through the centuries have secured a sustainable use of the environment, which is available today for new kinds of fruition, such as tourism. This is a field in which research can and must still do a great deal.

Good luck.

Diego Schelfi, president of the Federazione Trentina della Cooperazione (Trentino Federation of Cooperatives)

The idea to create Euricse was born particularly out of conversations with Rainer Schlüter, the current director of Cooperatives Europe, during which we took note of the estranged attitude, if not open hostility, that the structure of the European Union generally displayed in relation to cooperation. It seemed clear to us that the various international cooperative organizations could not and cannot limit themselves to advocacy and lobbying. While these activities are necessary, they could turn these organizations into a closed interest group that then runs the risk of being seen as corporatist. We felt the need for something more – something sophisticated and ana-lytic enough to represent an academic-grade instrument based on and recognized by scholarly research that could be available to political institutions at every level and to the cooperative field as a whole. A centre of excellence that would also serve to “re-energize” cooperation and co-operators in light of current and future challenges. In short, an institute that could help de-velop new capacities for representation, but above all, provide theoretical support. We believe that the cooperative sector needs new theory, which does not mean abandoning its fun-damental principles. Rather, it needs a theory that can increase its development and visibility, removing it from the obscurity that renders it obsolete. Therefore the need for research. Re-



search on the cooperative models at the global level and on new cooperation. Research oriented towards the themes of European and member state legisla-tion. Research aimed at defining the future structure of cooperatives, in terms of governance, taxation, relationship with and role of the members, drawbacks, market positioning, corporate instruments needed for market penetration and partnership consolidation. Research aimed at the systematic integration of co-operatives in business and universal coordination of the cooperative network. It seemed to us a fine dream that needs ongoing inspirational nourishment and concretizing. This is the theory. Euricse will rise to the occasion!

Cavaliere Mario Marangoni, president of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Trento e Rovereto (Trento and Rovereto Bank Foundation)

The Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Trento e Rove-reto (Caritro) has supported Euricse from the beginning as an Institutional Member and will continue to do so, as the Institute’s activities coincide with the social and eco-nomic development goals of the Caritro Foundation. Euricse has proven to be a valuable tool for furthering the cultural and professional growth of social entrepre-neurs as well as for promoting the Trentino cooperative movement at a national and international level.

Rainer Schlüter, director of Cooperatives Europe

Euricse is the result of an idea raised by Cooperatives Europe, the region-al organization of the International Cooperative Alliance that I head. We felt

an increasing need to have scientific support for the argu-ments and political positions adopted by our network. To say that the cooperative movement is strong and well structured is not enough; theoretical and empirical scientific evidence is needed, starting with rigorous data on the fundamentals of the movement: number of enterprises, employees, areas of activity, etc. At that time we had three possibilities: the Manchester Co-operative College, the Cooperative Group Mondragon in the Basque country and the Federazione Trentina della Cooperazi-one (Trentino Federation of Cooperatives). The Trentino Fed-eration was the quickest and most efficient in formulating their proposal, highlighting the connection between their strong lo-cal system of cooperative enterprises and the University, where

there was already a research centre, Issan, with expertise on these topics. (read the interview with Rainer Schlüter on the page 40).

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Issan: a long road leading to Euricse

Euricse is a research institute that was founded on May 28th, 2008 and which developed from the decade-long experience of Issan (Institute for studies and the development of nonprofit organizations). Issan was created as an associa-tion between the University of Trento and public and private entities, as well as for-profit and nonprofit organizations and had 5� members. In its ten years of operation, Issan conducted 45 research projects financed by public (56,8%) and private (4�,2%) entities and organized various types of courses attended by 442 people, including 1�� recent graduates who participated in the Masters in Social Enterprise Management and 265 managers of nonprofit organizations. There were 144 collaborators involved in the teaching of these courses.

Issan participated in the creation of three research networks: EMES European Research Network, Social entrepreneurship in Eastern European Countries, and Iris Network. Further, the institute collaborated with the OECD LEED Centre for Local Development in Trento.

In order to support research and training in the sector, Issan developed a strong role as a publisher, both independently and in collaboration with na-tional and international publishers. The institute published or contributed in the publishing of 22 volumes, plus 16 issues of the journal Impresa Sociale and 22 titles in the Working Paper series. Over the course of its ten years of work, Issan organized �� events, including 16 permanent seminars, 12 interna-tional conferences and 4 national workshops on social enterprises.

Euricse was born out of this experience with the aim of expanding the collective knowledge base on the char-acteristics and economic potential of socially responsible organizations within the European and international con-text.

For more information about Issan, please visit Issan Archive on Euricse’s web site (www.euricse.eu).

Euricse highlights 200811 February 2008 Visit from Italian President Giorgio Napolitano

28 May 2008 Signing of the certificate of incorporation

11 -12 September 2008 International seminar “The cooperative enterprise between na-tional taxation and the European market”

15-18 October 2008 ICA Research conference 2008

26 November 2008 First Steering committee meeting



President of the Italian Republic inaugurates Euricse

Euricse was publically presented on February 11th, 2008 with the extraordi-nary participation of the President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano. During a warm meeting between President Napolitano and Trentino cooperative leaders at the headquarters of the Federazione Trentina della Cooperazione (Trentino Federation of Cooperatives), Euricse was formally established with Napolitano’s wishes for great success. “I am convinced that you will succeed in developing this initiative in the best way possible, and I hope that the values that coopera-tives represent, which are truly important values from the standpoint of ideals, sociality, and moral and social cohesion, can more broadly inspire the action of our institutions,” stated the President of the Republic.

President Napolitano further stated that, “cooperatives represent, not just in Italy, one of the highest forms of economic organization and social solidarity. It is not by chance that the cooperative has found the most solemn recognition in the Republic’s Constitution and a specific designation within Italian legislation.” Pointing out the excellence of Trentino cooperatives, Napolitano wished the budding institute every success.

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From Canada to the Don Guetti lecture seriesInterview with Professor Ian MacPherson, director of the British Columbia Institute for Co-operative Studies

Euricse highlights 20097-30 April 2009 “The challenges of the cooperative movement” seminar series with Ian MacPherson

17 June 2009 “The financial crises: the credit cooperative challenges” conference

1-4 July 2009 2nd EMES International conference

3 July 2009 signing of a Memorandum of understanding with UNDP

23 October 2009 First Euricse Advisory Board meeting

23 December 2009 Euricse headquarters moves

In April 2009 Euricse invited Pro-fessor Ian MacPherson, director of the British Columbia Institute for Co-operative Studies at the University of Victoria in Canada, to Trento to give a series of ten seminars. During these seminars, MacPherson discussed themes such as the history of the Ca-nadian and U.S. cooperative move-ment, the origin and meaning of co-operative values, and the potential of cooperatives in developing countries.

The globally recognized Cana-dian scholar played a fundamental role within the International Co-Op-erative Alliance in defining the State-ment of Cooperative Identity for the 21st century. McPherson was the first professor invited to speak as part of the “Don Lorenzo Guetti” series on cooperatives, an initiative of the Uni-versity of Trento, the Federazione Trentina delle Cooperazione (Tren-tino Federation of Cooperatives) and the Promocoop Fund. We spoke with the Canadian professor about the co-operative movement today.

What could be the role of the cooperative movement in this so-cio-economic context character-ised by crisis? Both in Canada and Europe?

For the last thirty years much of the world has been greatly influ-enced by the idea that the pursuit of individual benefits will ultimately create a better world for everyone. This form of individualism seemed to work well for some amid the com-paratively easy expansion of markets internationally made possible by technology and government policy during the end of the Cold War and afterward. The easy days of interna-tionalism, however, are past, as many countries now are able to compete, meaning that outsiders cannot as easily exploit, and as the limits of conventional energy and other re-sources become clearer. Much of the wealth that has been created in more recent times has been specu-lative wealth built on expectations rather than real value.



The sudden decline now evident in many parts of the world signals the need to turn to organisations, like cooperatives, that are obviously transparent in their operations, that create real as opposed to inflated value, that reward contribution and not just ownership. I believe that much of the world is also looking for organisational forms that make strong ethical commitments to the environment, communities and hu-man well-being. Though, as human institutions, cooperatives sometimes fall short in applying their values and principles, their ultimate commit-ments to such concerns should not be in question. That means that the role of the cooperative movement should be expansive and expanding. In the current crisis, much of which is about confidence, cooperatives should have an immense advantage. And, as in the past, as people and communities suffer, they will once

again learn the possibilities and ad-vantages of working together for individual benefit and the common good.

What are the main challenges facing the cooperative movement lately? And what is the role of re-search and research centres in re-solving these problems?

By and large, the cooperative movement around the world has de-veloped pragmatically, responding to needs and pursuing possibilities. The result is that it has grown to an immense size, but it does not project adequately – to its supporters or the outside world – what it is about, how it works, and why it should be sup-ported. The movement needs to de-velop a much deeper understanding of its own past, its present strengths, its distinctiveness, and its possibilities. Doing so requires partnerships in the pursuit of well-considered examina-

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tions of past and present practices, of failed efforts and great accomplish-ments. This should involve research-ers within and without the academy and people actively engaged within cooperatives. I believe that this rela-tively weak understanding of the na-ture and preferred modes of operat-ing cooperatives is the movement’s main weakness and limitation.

The centre that is developing at Trento for the study of cooperatives and like organisations is already mak-ing an immense contribution to this problem and promises to do much more. Those people at the university and among cooperatives who are re-sponsible for its development are to be congratulated for their foresight and determination.

What is your opinion about the cooperative movement in Trentino?

I am looking forward very much for the opportunity to learn more about the cooperatives in Trento while I am visiting in April. I have had the op-portunity to visit the area twice in the past and I have been very impressed by the extent of the cooperative movement in and around Trento. It is obviously a key contributor to the sense of social and economic well-being for which the region is so well known, both in Italy and other coun-

tries. I have been particularly struck by the spirit that seems to animate the cooperatives, the sense of pride and accomplishment of the co-op-erators I have met, the ways in which people work together within the co-operatives, and how well and in what diverse ways cooperatives relate to the needs of communities. I am also very impressed by how well coopera-tives of different types work togeth-er for common purpose and mutual benefit. Regrettably, this is not the case in many other parts of the world and I think it is important for those of us who come from other places to learn about why and how your coop-eratives work together so effectively.



Resources and investmentsThe quantity and sources of Euricse’s funding are important indicators for

measuring the Institute’s capacity for investment – distinguishing between core business and marginal activities – and for evaluating the organization’s level of autonomy in allocating available resources, considering the interests and expec-tations of the funders. This is especially important for an organization like Euricse, which produces intangible products – knowledge, training, consulting – charac-terised by a high level of complexity tied to the involvement of various types of collaborators, the difficulty of standardizing the processes of production, and the long timeframe required to truly assess the results of its initiatives. The fig-ures presented below represent a first attempt to quantify these concepts. They identify the amount of economic resources the institute can count on, the main funders, and the allocation of said funds to various activities and functions.

Who funds the work of Euricse?

The start-up of the institute was designed as a seven-year project with finan-cial support (in equal parts) from the Province of Trento and the Trentino coop-erative movement. The initial capitalization is close to €4.5 million, part of which is allocated each year to a fund that supports the activities of the foundation.

The Institute’s revenue was €1.1 million in 2009, composed in part by pub-lic contributions and in part by funds generated by Euricse. The latter came both from membership fees and from training, research and consulting activi-ties. Indeed, it is important to note that Euricse already developed significant commercial activities in 2009, providing goods and services which generated funds from local (�5% of revenue), national (42%) and international (2�%) or-ganizations. At the local and national level this revenue was mainly from private entities (foundations and federations within the cooperative movement), while at the international level the primary funder was the European Commission.

Revenue by sourceEuropean

Commission14%

Local publicentities12%

Foundations24%Federations

17%

University5%

Cooperatives andConsortia

16%

Privateentities12%

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Continuing to develop diverse revenue streams and self-generated income is a goal for all the areas of activity within Euricse. This is true for the training de-partment in particular, which generated 4�% of revenue from the sale of goods and services in 2009, but also research (2�%), consulting (16%) and communi-cations (18%), which contribute to the mix of resources that allow Euricse the autonomy to conduct its activities.

Resources invested

The table of expenditures for 2009 provides useful indicators for evaluating the main “investments” (broadly speaking) made by the organisation.

Typical of a start-up enterprise, which needs to build an internal structure and a governance system capable of managing the kick-off and ramping up of activities, one of the largest portions of the 1,1 million Euros was devoted to organizational and institutional costs.

Following these expenses were the costs for the main areas of activity, name-ly research and training, that together account for 40% of the expenditures.

Another aspect of the investments required is the cost of personnel, which accounts for 61% of the total, divided between permanent staff (45% of the cost), collaborators (��%), and administrators (22%).



Research Multidisciplinaryand comparative approach

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Euricse aims to support and conduct research activities that bridge the divide between current dominant theoretical models and the specific features charac-terizing cooperative and social enterprises. The defining features and modes of operation of such enterprises contradict some of the main assumptions of conventional economic theory, such as the tendency of individuals to act in their own self-interest and for firms to seek profit maximisation.

Fostering a better understanding of the characteristics, roles and potential for the development of cooperatives and social enterprises requires both theo-retical and empirical research, conducted from a multidisciplinary and compara-tive perspective. This research, however, should maintain a balance between scientific rigor and attention to the local context, which is intrinsic to a phenom-enon that has a strong community dimension.

Given its critical approach toward conventional paradigms, Euricse pursues innovative approaches such as investigations using experimental and behav-ioural models. Further, Euricse is interested in research able to measure the economic and social impact of cooperative and social enterprises at both the international and local levels, with particular emphasis on their contribution to development, social capital accumulation and democratization.

The Research Area staff is currently comprised of two staff members with approximately 20 external researchers. In addition, Euricse supports a varying number of post-doctoral students and visiting researchers.

Euricse places a high value in particular on the involvement of young and early-stage researchers who are interested in investigating cooperative and so-cial enterprises from various perspectives. To this end, Euricse supports Ph.D. students (5 scholarships have been awarded so far to 1 Kenyan student; 2 Ital-ian students; 1 student from Kirghizstan and 1 from Bosnia) and postdoctoral

Research Multidisciplinaryand comparative approach


researchers (currently 4 research grants have been awarded), who are either di-rectly involved in Euricse’s projects or focus on their own research with Euricse’s assistance.

The Research Area also promotes mobility exchanges: � early-stage re-searchers have been hosted by Euricse so far (1 from Colombia; 1 from India, 1 from Spain/Canada) and exchanges with Canada, Armenia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Serbia will be promoted under two EU-funded projects (Canada-EU Pro-gramme for Cooperation in Higher Education, Training and Youth; and Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme). Two advanced/senior re-searchers have been hosted by the Euricse Research Area (1 from Sweden and 1 from US/Oman) during 2009.

29.827is the impressive number of downloads of the report on the

research on social enterprises in Eastern European countries in transition conducted by EMES with significant contributions from Euricse researchers. This is an interesting indicator that shows two things: 1) social enterprises are a key factor in pro-moting socio-economic development and are more and more at the centre of attention of policy-makers and practitioners; 2) scientific knowledge has become more and more diffuse through the web. The research that was presented in the report was “Study on Promoting the Role of Social Enterprises in CEE and the CIS”.

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Completed research projectsStudy on promoting the role of social enterprises in Central and Eastern

Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The analysis car-ried out brought to light both the unexpressed potential and marginal role dis-played by social enterprises in the target countries in comparison with west-ern Europe. The barriers that hamper social enterprise development include the lack of supporting environments and infrastructure, restricted access to resources, privileged administrative treatment of specific organizational forms, unsuitable institutional framework and an inconsistent legal environment. This research focused in particular on the development paths of social enterprises in 11 CEE and CIS.

The research carried contributed to a report “Social enterprise: a new model for poverty reduction and employment generation. An examination of the con-cept and practice in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States”, which was published by the UNDP Regional Bureau.

Scientific Committee : Carlo Borzaga, Euricse/University of Trento; Jacques Defourny, University of Liège/EMES; Ewa Les, University of Warsaw; Marthe Nyssens, University of Louvain; Roger Spear, Open University

Researchers: Giulia Galera, Euricse; Rocìo Nogales, EMES

Partners: UNDP-BRC; EMES, European Research Network

The economic role of nonprofit organizations: new theoretical design and empirical analyses

On the theoretical side, this research contributed to identifying the main limitations of the existing literature on social enterprises and to pinpointing possible linkages between the economic theory of the firm and new interdisci-plinary approaches. Special attention was paid to behavioural theory in order to explain principal-agents’ relationships in light of not-self-interested behaviours and cooperative solutions. Furthermore, a new modern theoretical approach was developed, which supports an innovative conception of the firm, whereby profit maximisation is no longer considered the unique condition for firm exist-ence.

Main publications:Borzaga, C. and Depedri, S. (2009) ‘Does it make a difference working for social

cooperatives in Italy?’, in A. Amin (ed.) The Social Economy: international perspectives on economic solidarity, London: Zed Press, pp. 82-114.

Borzaga, C. and Musella, M. (eds) (200�) Produttività ed Efficienza nelle Organ-izzazioni Nonprofit: il ruolo dei lavoratori e delle relazioni di lavoro, Trento: Edizioni �1.

Borzaga, C. and Tortia, E. (2005) ‘Dalla cooperazione mutualistica alla cooper-azione’

Scientific Coordinator: Carlo Borzaga, Euricse/University of Trento Researchers: Sara Depedri, Ermanno Tortia, University of Trento

Partners: University of Naples Federico II; University of Brescia

Research

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The new challenges of the work integration Italian model: a study on social cooperatives in northern Italy

This research had two main goals: first, to provide a snapshot of work inte-gration in social cooperatives in Italy; second, to investigate the attitude of so-cial cooperatives towards the external integration of disadvantaged workers in the open labour market. More specifically, the research focused on how B-type cooperatives manage to combine production, training, and integration (both internal and external) goals. In addition, the research assessed the feasibility and actual use of the specific tools that the Legislature recently introduced to support the integration of disadvantaged people into the workforce.

Scientific Coordinator: Carlo Borzaga, Euricse/University of Trento

Researchers: Mariangela Mongera and Michela Giovannini, Euricse

Research projects in-progressDoes social economy promote inclusion? Evidence from empirical studies

on cooperative and social enterpriseThis research mainly aims to assess the impact of cooperative membership

on poverty reduction through the analysis of the effects of Fair Trade and Mi-crofinance projects – in the Philippines and Argentina, respectively – on the beneficiaries’ material and psychological well-being.

Scientific Coordinator: Leonardo Becchetti, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”

Researchers: Pierluigi Conzo, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”; Stefano Cas-triota, University of Trento

Credit cooperatives and local developmentThis project attempts to overcome the contradiction between economic the-

ory, which disregards the capacity of cooperative enterprises to achieve eco-nomic and social results, and the empirical research, which demonstrates it.

Scientific Coordinator: Silvio Goglio, University of Trento

Researchers: Yiorgos Alexopulos, Agrarian University of Athens; Roberto Burlando, University of Turin; Peter Davis, University of Leicester; Andrea Le-onardi, University of Trento.

Partners: Agrarian University of Athens; University of Turin; University of Leicester

Users’ cooperatives in public services: a comparative studyThe aim of this project is to survey the experiences of the most important us-

ers’ cooperatives in Italy and abroad by examining best practices, studying the problems raised by democratic governance, analysing relationships with the reg-ulators and public institutions of reference, and highlighting policy implications.

Scientific Coordinator: Pierangelo Mori, University of Florence

Researcher: Francesca Spinicci, University of Florence

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Accounting in European cooperationThis research project aims to map the diversity and common patterns of

social accounting practices across European cooperatives engaged in various sectors (cooperative banks, agricultural cooperatives, social enterprises). This research will also explore the degree of distinctiveness of social accounting and social reporting in cooperatives when compared with the instrumental nature of social accounting in for-profit companies. The underlying hypothesis is that social accounting in cooperatives is coupled with real strategic and operational activities.

Scientific Coordinators: Michele Andreaus, University of Trento; Carlos Lar-rinaga Gonzales, Burgos University (Spain)

Researchers: Ericka Costa and Tommaso Ramus, University of Trento

Partner: Burgos University

Contributing to the understanding of cooperatives and social enterprises through institutional and behavioural theory

The goal of this project is to contribute to a new interpretative framework that can account for the variety of entrepreneurial forms existing and developing in market economies. The new theoretical framework attempts to overcome the limitations imposed by the traditional conception of the firm, and in particular the inability to adequately account for institutional and organisational variety. This inability stems from the orthodox assumptions of self-interested motiva-tions and profit-maximisation, coupled with the static approach that does not adequately consider institutional and cultural change. The framework will serve as the basis for the understanding of the economic nature and social role of cooperative and social enterprises. To this end, this project will carry out a new survey, as well as laboratory and field experiments.

Scientific Coordinator: Carlo Borzaga, Euricse/University of Trento; Luigi Mit-tone, University of Trento

Researchers: Ermanno Tortia, Sara Depedri, Matteo Ploner and Giuliano Trenti, University of Trento

Partners: University of Brescia; University of Rome “Tor Vergata”; Universi-ty of Stirling (UK); University of Hertfordshire (UK); Hamilton College (USA); Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development (Germany); Helsinki School of Economics (Finland).

The role of the cooperative sector in the accumulation of social capital (COPSOC)

The COPSOC research project focuses on the role played by the coop-erative sector in determining the exceptional performance of the Province of Trento in terms of development and well-being. To this end, the project team will develop an original empirical framework, drawing on both primary and secondary data. The aim is to provide an answer to the following research questions:

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a) What are the roles and determinants of social capital?

b) What is the role of service cooperatives in the accumulation of social capi-tal?

c) Do cooperatives play a role in determining economic performance, devel-opment and well-being?

Scientific Coordinator: Fabio Sabatini, University of Sienna

The legal status of working members in cooperatives: an assessment following the introduction of law 142/2001

The main objective of this project is to assess the state of the application of Law. n. 142 of 2001 regarding the legal status of the member workers of a co-operative. The project will first identify the problems concerning the concrete application of the law and then assess the comparative advantages and disad-vantages connected to the provisions contained in the law.

Scientific Coordinator: Luca Nogler, University of Trento

Researchers: Matteo Borzaga, Stefania Brun and Valentina Beghini, Univer-sity of Trento

Social economy. A nation-wide survey on the formal and informal net-works of cooperatives and social enterprises

The aim of this project is to analyse the structuring of the networks of a na-tional sample of cooperatives and social enterprises and the influence of those networks on their economic and social performance. The objective is to link the performance of these organisations to the types and dynamics of the networks in which they are embedded.

Scientific Coordinator: Luca Fazzi, University of Trento

Researchers: Michele Mosca, University of Naples; Davide Galesi and Cor-rado Paternolli, University of Trento

The contribution of cooperative and social enterprises to socio-economic development in transition counties

This study aims to assess the contribution of cooperative and social enter-prises to socio-economic development in four countries in transition: Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia and Serbia. This is a multidisciplinary study, drawing on eco-nomics, sociology, law, and history, relying mainly on empirical analysis.

Scientific Coordinator: Giulia Galera, Euricse

Partners: EMES (European Research Network); University of Trento; ICARE (Armenia); Oracul (Belarus); SESPS (Ukraine); Faculty of Philosophy – Univer-sity of Belgrade – Institute for Sociological Research (UBFP-ISR) (Serbia)

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Mobility projectsCanada – EU programme for cooperation in higher education, training,

and youthBy facilitating the mobility of students, faculty, researchers and resources,

this project is designed to develop a Canadian-European Civil Society Educa-tional Network with the following objectives:– to enhance the educational experiences and skills of Canadian and Europe-

an students seeking a variety of careers related to civil society organisations and social enterprises;

– to support the development of new curricula to teach civil society in a range of disciplines;

– to facilitate the collaboration between Canadian and European universities to expand their programmes in civil society studies;

– to provide a forum for the exchange of educational materials, resources, and tools for Canadian and European faculty, students, and researchers in civil society studies.

Coordinator: Freie Universität Berlin

Partners: University of Trento/Euricse, Sheffield Hallam University (UK), Car-leton University (Canada), McGill University Toronto (Canada), University of Winnipeg (Canada)

European observatory of cooperatives and social enterprises

Cooperatives and social enterprises matter. They have demonstrated their capacity to fulfil social needs, generate employment, tackle poverty, encourage local economic development, promote citizen participation in policy-making processes, integrate otherwise disadvantaged groups into the labour market, innovate production and provision of goods and services, and yield social added value. However, despite their salience, there is no European statistical register to specifically account for the economic and financial performance of cooperative businesses and social enterprises. Nor are there standardised methodologies to evaluate their social impact, systematic studies measuring the attitudinal background surrounding this sec-tor in the Union or comprehensible legal records that allow for the comparison of legislations of cooperatives and social enterprises across the EU.

Euricse would like to fill this void by starting the first European Observatory of Coopera-tives and Social Enterprises. This Observatory would collate and maintain a database with indicators measuring the economic performance, financial situation, attitudinal background and legislative structure of cooperatives and social enterprises across the EU.

Products– Economic database of cooperatives;– Public opinion indicators that ascertain the knowledge, evaluations, behaviours, and

expectations of the EU general public, practitioners, and supra/national policy decision-makers regarding cooperatives and social enterprises;

– Legislative framework of cooperative businesses across the EUCoordinator: Maricarmen Hernandez

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RECOSET – Research network on cooperative and social enterprises in transition contexts

RECOSET aims to stimulate the creation of a network of research centres that are committed to studying cooperative and social enterprises in European (EU)/Associated (AC) and Third Countries (TC). The societal interest in coopera-tive and social enterprises stems from their capacity to sustain the welfare of individuals and families, to fight social inequalities, and to enhance social cohe-sion and solidarity behaviours through the production of a wide spectrum of general interest services.

Coordinator: Euricse

Partners: EMES, Belgium; University of Trento; Faculty of Philosophy Univer-sity of Belgrade – Institute for Sociological Research (Serbia); ICARE (Arme-nia); ORACUL (Belarus); SESPS (Ukraine)

Building bridges through researchInterview with Cynthia Giagnocavo, research fellow at the University of Almerìa (Spain)

Cynthia Giagnocavo is a research fellow at the University of Almería (Spain) in Economy and Business Administration/Management with a focus on social economy. After many years working as a banking, finance and corporate lawyer in Toronto, Lon-don and Madrid, she decided to do a Ph.D. that was related to “alternative” economic and business forms; in her case, agricultural and finance coop-eratives. Last year, for three months, she was guest of Euricse as an early stage researcher.

Can you tell us something about yourself?

I completed undergraduate de-grees in philosophy and literature before doing a law degree and then a Masters of Environmental Stud-ies. One of the common threads in my work has been the investigation of how communities are structured, whether by law, economic arrange-ments, territory or by social and ethical commitments: how are they created, defined and regulated, how do they function, what are their institutions?

As a child I grew up in a “community” of Amish-Mennonites in Pennsylva-nia, one of those many “social enter-prise” or “cooperative” type struc-tures with a religious mandate that can be found around the world. What is curious is the fact that so much of what defines that community and day to day practice is precisely how they organize their economy. Clearly, it is a rather extreme example, but it left its imprint: how a community (religious or secular) practices its economic ar-rangements is inherently bound up with its ethical commitments. From my experience, this insight applies to the global finance world as well, and in that respect we have created a community with a frightening ethic. Ecological issues have also been a long-standing core issue for me and perhaps for that reason the agricul-tural sector is an important theme in my investigation.

How was your stay in Trentino?

My research stay at Euricse helped me to consolidate a lot of ideas and made me rework others—always a

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good sign when you have to erase comfortable conclusions and start over again. Everyone was so gener-ous with their time and insights—it is a great team, made up of very distinct and interesting people. As for Trento and the province of Trentino, it is sim-ply beautiful.

Tell us something about your thesis and current areas of investi-gation

My thesis is “Legislative Change and Organisational Form in the Agri-cultural Cooperative Sector: Towards an understanding of the theoretical foundations and the use of contract and property rights theories”. Al-though interdisciplinary, in its most simplified form, it is an argument against how economic theory has col-onised legal theory, particularly in re-lation to the law of business entities. Certain legal theorists, not wanting to dirty their hands with the real busi-ness of law—which is all about making ethical and distributive decisions—decided to dress themselves up in economic theory and craft corporate (and in some cases, cooperative) legislation and regulation based on these “neutral” principles. Manage-ment and organisational academics followed the lead. Applied to entities such as cooperatives, this methodol-ogy becomes glaringly inadequate. It is, of course, also woefully inade-quate when we talk about “normal” firms too, the distinction between the “social” and “normal” firms being artificial. My wish, although I doubt it will be granted, would be to eradi-cate the phrase “incomplete con-tract”, particularly as the rationale for property rights distribution. I would also wish that anyone talking about

“the market” willingly admit to the intentional human hand in the same. Current areas of investigation include the role of cooperative credit in situ-ations where there was/is a civil soci-ety vacuum; sustainable international food supply chains and the relevance of social enterprises when thinking about the sourcing and production of food; and social economy entities in supply chain logistics and community resources.

Tell us something about your projects with Euricse

We are working together on a multi-country project “Cooperative Bank Strategies for Social-Economic Problem Solving: Supporting Local

Community Social Enterprise”. In ad-dition, Euricse participated with the University of Almería on a proposal to the Andalucían government on improving the quality of work and solving labour exclusion in agri-food cooperatives. Members from Euricse, representatives from Trentino coop-erative credit banks, Cajamar (Spain’s largest cooperative credit bank) and the University of Almería are also in-vestigating areas of collaboration.

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Consulting Knowledge building and sharing

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Euricse offers consulting services to organisations and enterprises as well as to local, national and international public institutions. This activity focuses in particular on the areas of enterprise management, legal and taxation issues and the definition of public policy interventions. Our projects are directed toward the study and analysis of existing policies and legal frameworks, and the de-velopment of an archive both on topics (e.g. cooperatives, social cooperatives, social enterprises) and sources (case law and jurisprudence) in order to build the knowledge necessary to respond to requests for advice.

Another area of Euricse’s consulting work concerns the needs expressed by the cooperative movement and by the European Commission. In this re-gard Euricse is building a network of experts within the field in order to share knowledge and skills and work together to solve problems that arise within the sector.

Euricse also participates in the European Commission calls for research on cooperatives and social enterprises: two projects financed by the Commission are currently underway.

Projects underwayStudy on the implementation of Regulation 1435/2003 on the Statute

for European cooperative society

Financed by: European Commission

Following a call for proposals published by the Directorate General Enter-prise and Industry of the European Commission, Euricse in partnership with EZAI Foundation and Cooperatives Europe, presented a joint proposal for a


research study on the forms and modalities of the implementation of EC Reg-ulation 14�5/200� on the Statute for European cooperative society (SCE) in European Union Member States and EEA Countries (Norway, Iceland, Liech-tenstein). The study will also provide recommendations for future legislation. Euricse is responsible for the scientific coordination of the project and is the Team Leader of the Consortium.

The “SCE” project aims to:– provide an analysis and overview of the �0 national laws implementing the

SCE Regulation;– gather, analyze and compare the �0 national laws on cooperative societies;– create an inventory of the existing SCEs and acquire related information on

them;– acquire information for evaluating the degree of success of the SCE Regula-

tion;– acquire information on the visibility of the cooperative sector, regarding the

existing measures of promotion and support in its favour;– advance recommendations and proposals for amendment of the SCE Regu-

lation;– advance recommendations and proposal of policies, whether legislative or

not, for the promotion of cooperative societies in Europe;– lay the groundwork for the constitution of a European network of experts in

cooperative law;– lay the groundwork for the drafting of a “model law” on cooperatives.

In accordance with its aims, the research will be divided into two levels: na-tional and the supranational (comparative). The first level engages thirty na-tional experts, one for each country involved in the research. These experts will provide a national report on the research topics. The second level involves a scientific committee, made up of six experts. The mix of academics specialised in cooperative law and lawyers from cooperative organisations within the com-mittee ensures the appropriate equilibrium between theoretical and scientific analysis and the capacity to identify and properly interpret the demands of the cooperative movement. The scientific committee approves all the interim re-ports and is responsible for the final study.

The consortium also has a steering committee which serves as a liaison to the steering committee set up by the Commission. The steering committee may also advise the scientific committee and is responsible for the evaluation of the final study from the point of view of its consequences in terms of coopera-tive policy.

Scientific Coordinator: Antonio Fici, Università di Molise/Euricse Project Manager: Chiara Strano

Support to comprehensive rural development in Montenegro, through rehabilitation of the cooperative system IPA 2008 – supporting measurer

Financed by: European Commission

The “Montenegro” project falls within the European Commission Pro-gramme IPA 2008 - supporting measures, which offers rationalised assistance

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to countries aspiring to join the European Union for the period 200�-201�. The project has three main activities: legislative support for the preparation of sec-tor-based laws on rural cooperative enterprises; capacity-building trainings for local partners; and an awareness campaign through workshops, working groups and citizen participation in rural areas.

Scientific Coordinator: Antonio Fici, Università di Molise / Euricse

Project Manager: Chiara Strano

Competition policy and operational conditions for credit cooperatives

Financed by: Euricse

This research aims to refute the concern about the potentially anti-competi-tive nature of the Federations of BCC (Cooperative Banks). The fear is that the federations, which certainly play a positive role in overcoming the diseconomies of scale related to the small size of BCCs, might facilitate coordinated solu-tions in BCC resulting in reduced competition. Another criticism concerns the cooperative credit system as a whole, asserting its potentially anti-competitive nature in relation to other banks.

Scientific Coordinator: Michele Grillo, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan

Public financing processes for social enterprises and non-profits

Financed by: Finlombarda

This project provides technical assistance to Finlombarda, a financing entity for the Lombardy region of Italy. The objective is to analyze public financing of social enterprises, both nationally and in four European countries (Belgium, France, Portugal, and the United Kingdom). The goal is to identify policies that support social enterprises and the most innovative funding tools within these policies that can be utilized in Lombardy. The project began in late 2009 and will conclude in June 2010.

Scientific Coordinator: Carlo Borzaga, University of Trento/Euricse

Consulting


How would you define, briefly, Euricse’s mission?

First: bring cooperative enter-prises back to the forefront, with par-ticular emphasis on the fundamental elements of their identity. Second: create a network of international re-search centres to enrich the scientific debate on business and economic models. Third: to be a think tank, a laboratory of transformation of re-search into development policies. Not from a defensive standpoint of preventing discrimination of the co-operative movement in favour of dif-ferent enterprise models, but with a proactive perspective promoting our enterprises as enriching the social and economic context.

Where are we now?

We have taken the first step. Eu-ricse exists. Now it must make an ef-fort to become more European. It is still a bit focused on Italy. The aim is to gain the necessary credibility to be seen as a point of reference recog-nized by all those working on coop-eration and social enterprise.

What is your opinion about the recent debate on social enter-prise?

There seems to be a risk of trivial-izing the concept. Nowadays even Bill Gates suggests he is a social entrepre-neur. So called “social entrepreneur-ship” is the new face of the social re-sponsibility of businesses that in recent years has weakened the cooperative movement. So they distribute some money to create social cohesion, but it is nothing more than a marketing strategy used by for-profit enterprises to improve their reputation. If social enterprises follow this route, they risk creating a chasm with cooperative en-terprises. Therefore, I think it is impor-tant that social enterprises rediscover their cooperative core and origin, the fact that they are a sort of subset of the cooperative movement.

Last, but not least, what is your opinion on the Euricse “philoso-phy” document?

I certainly agree on the general framework, that is, the need for new economic theory on cooperatives able to influence mainstream economic research, which has demonstrated limits that are at the origin of the cur-rent crisis. Cooperation is a key factor in social cohesion and in sustainable development and should become an integral part of a new theoretical sys-tem. Moreover, I appreciate the pas-sages on the need to build a network of research centres, and specifically the effort to build an Observatory able to monitor the dimensions and development trends of the European Cooperative Movement.

Transforming research into development policiesInterview with Rainer Schlüter, director of Cooperatives Europe


Where we have beenLondon (UK) –Social Enterprise Research Advisory Group

Brussels (Belgium) –EMES Network Board of Directors meeting

Burgos (Spain) – Michele Andreaus and Tommaso Ramus met with Spanish colleagues regarding the research project “Accounting in European Cooperation”

Athens (Greece) – Silvio Goglio met with Yiorgos Alexopoulos and Peter Davis on the “Credit Cooperatives and Local Development” project.

Padua (Italy) – “Small Banks Efficiency and Competiveness: Theoretical Approaches and Managerial Implications” workshop

Rome (Italy) – Presentation of the Iris Network’s First Report on social enterprises in Italy

Rome (Italy) – Meeting on “The Social Economy in Europe” during which the European parliamentarian Patrizia Toia presented the report on this topic approved by the Parliament

Brussels (Belgium) – Euricse organized a brainstorming meeting on the creation of a network of European Research Centres. Participants included: CECOP- Bruno Roelants; Confcooperative - Enzo Pezzini; Cooperatives Europe - Rainer Schlüter; Institut d’Etudes Politiques de l’Université de Grenoble - Daniele Demoustier; Instituto de estudios Cooperativos, Universidad de Deusto - Aitziber Mugarra Elorriaga; Institut fur Genossenschaftswesen - Hans Muenkner; Open University - Roger Spear; Sodertorns Hogskola - Yohanana Stryjan; University of Essex - Jay Mitra; University of Leicester - Peter Davis; University of Liege - Jacques Defourny.

Brussels (Belgium) - European Association of Cooperative Banks think tank meeting

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Where we have beenCastelfranco Veneto (Italy) – Attended the “Scopri la cooperazione trevigiana” (Discover Cooperation in Treviso) conference and presented Euricse’s research on type B cooperatives in the provinces of Trento, Brescia and in the Veneto region

Sofia (Bulgaria) –Cooperatives Europe’s European Conference and General Assembly on “The Cooperative Response to the Economic Downturn”

Siena (Italy) – Annual assembly of bank foundations

Reims (France) –Annual Conference of American Association of Wine Economics

Geneva (Switzerland) – Carlo Borzaga was a panellist along with other international experts on employment and entrepreneurship at an event organized by ILO

Oxford (UK) – The annual International Cooperative Association conference

Istanbul (Turkey) – The 9th International Entrepreneurship Forum conference organized by the University of Essex

Bertinoro (Italy) – “Giornate di Bertinoro” conference on the Civil Economy

Genoa (Italy) – CGM national convention

Geneva (Switzerland) – The ICA Committee on Cooperative Research meeting

Pordenone (Italy) – Seminar on “Financing and Development Tools for Social Enterprises”

Bratislava (Slovakia) –UNDP regional workshop “Strengthening the Sustainability of Community-based Development through Social

Entrepreneurship”


Networking, reaching out to the international community

Euricse is committed to developing research on cooperative and social en-terprises and to offering training and consulting services. In this regard, the Institute’s priority is to promote discussion, knowledge sharing, cooperation and dissemination activities among the growing number of scholars, research centres and organizations interested in similar issues.

To overcome the current fragmentation of research on cooperative and so-cial enterprises and to encourage synergies in the scientific community, Euricse seeks to foster innovative forms of collaboration and to support joint research initiatives from an international and multidisciplinary perspective.

Euricse’s networking activities are therefore of central importance, seeking to promote cooperative relations among European and International research centres and other organizations that are interested and/or involved in training and research activities on cooperative and social enterprises.

Objectives

Euricse’s networking activities have two main purposes:– to foster dialogue with research centres and other organizations possessing

extensive experience in the field of cooperative and social enterprises;– to disseminate research results at both the European and international

level.

The main instrument to achieve these objectives is the development of an in-ternational network of research centres on cooperative and social enterprises.

Specific initiatives

Given the goal of creating an international network of research centres on cooperative and social enterprises, Euricse proposes to develop the following initiatives:

1. the organization of an Annual Meeting attended by the most representative research centres engaged in the study of cooperative and social enterpris-es;

2. the organization of an international Conference to facilitate the effective dis-semination of relevant information;

�. the creation of a joint mobility programme for researchers involved in stud-ies on cooperative and social enterprises in various countries from different disciplinary perspectives;

4. the creation of an Observatory on cooperative and social enterprises to over-come the fragmentation of the research in this field;

5. the launching of an innovative International Master’s Degree on Social Enter-prise, Cooperatives and Local Development addressed to practitioners and policy-makers interested in cooperative and social enterprises;

45

6. the organization of summer schools on cooperative and social enterprises in order to transfer specific competencies, abilities and skills and to share best practices among European researchers and managers working in the field;

�. the launching of an International Online Journal, in order to publicize recent scientific advances and to enhance the visibility of studies on cooperative and social enterprises in academic and institutional contexts.

Euricse, EMES and UNDP: Memorandum of Understanding

The role of social enterprises in fighting poverty and social exclusion

Euricse and EMES signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with UNDP, United Nations Development Programme, Bratislava Regional Centre. The overall objective of the partnership is to generate knowledge about social enterprises, enhance knowledge shar-ing, and promote the role of social enterprises in fighting poverty and social exclusion.

The main areas of activity include: improving knowledge sharing by encouraging syn-ergies and supporting the dissemination of best practices; collaborating on research and studies by sharing approaches, analysis, and tools; and cooperating in the organisation of national and European seminars and workshops.

“In a phase in which the response to the economic crisis is a return to passive policies such as subsidies and unemployment insurance payments, I believe it is also important to invest in interventions that aim to reactivate the potential and competencies of the most vulnerable segments of the population” contends Carlo Borzaga, president of Euricse. “Otherwise, we will find ourselves mired once again in those ‘welfare traps’ (welfarism, subsidy dependence, etc.) that we have fought until a few years ago”.

“This MOU is a significant document” says Jacques Defourny, President of EMES, “not just because it was signed by an important research centre, a European network of research centres, and a UN agency after five years of collaboration. It is important also be-cause of its content and “political” (in a broad sense) orientation. Indeed, it features an active approach to combating poverty and social exclusion, and a new actor – social enterprise – that can apply this approach through socialization, education and work inclusion interventions.”

“Social enterprises constitute a novelty in the world of social and economic institu-tions” Borzaga concluded, “and they deserve to be better known and promoted. The ability to access knowledge and best practices, such as the Italian and in particular the Trentino experience, will help broaden and improve anti-poverty measures at a moment in which this problem is resurfacing in a dramatic fashion”.

Where we have benn


TrainingDeveloping skills for today’s researchers and practitioners

4�Titolo capitolo

Euricse’s training programmes are designed both to encourage and support the professional development of young researchers and to enhance the skills and knowledge of volunteers and employees working for nonprofit organiza-tions and enterprises.

Training is delivered in two main forms:

– as organizational support to long-term training programmes organized in collaboration with the University of Trento or with networks of universities (and therefore recognized by those institutions). In particular, Euricse cur-rently offers a Master in Management of Social Enterprises and an Interna-tional Master in Social and Cooperative Enterprise and Local Development is under development;

– through short-term initiatives aimed at European and Italian managers working in the cooperative and social enterprise sector. In organizing these trainings, Euricse works in collaboration with existing training centres and in particular, with the University of Trento, the Federazione Trentina della Cooperazione (Trentino Federation of Cooperatives) and the national and European cooperative and social enterprise movements.

Master in management of social enterprisesFor the last 14 years, Euricse’s Master in Management of Social Enterprises,

organized in collaboration with the University of Trento, has been training man-agers to work in the third sector, providing the skills and tools needed to ana-lyze the social context and combine economic efficiency and efficacy with social well-being. Eleven students were enrolled in the program in the 2008-2009 aca-demic year, one with a Euricse scholarship.

TrainingDeveloping skills for today’s researchers and practitioners


From the beginning, the Master’s programme has held wide appeal, with participants coming from all around the country. Over �0 instructors participate in the programme, including both academic scholars and people working in the field. This allows for an interdisciplinary approach to the development of the third sector in Italy, bringing together economics, law and social sciences.

The director of the Master in management of social enterprises is Carlo Bor-zaga and the Steering Committee members are: Luca Fazzi, Michele Andreaus, Marco Bombardelli and Ermanno Tortia.

In addition to studying theory, all of the Master’s students participate in in-ternships within organisations across the country, and in some cases, abroad. Individual assistance is provided to all the students with finding an internship that benefits the student professionally and at the same time meets the needs of the hosting organization. This year, students held internships at: Associazione Trentino con il Kosovo, Trento; Consorzio Solidarfidi di Veneto, Padua; The Hub Islington (UK); Consorzio Nausicaa, Rome; Consorzio Sol.Co Verona; Coopera-tiva Sociale Villa Maria, Isera-Trento; Cooperativa Sociale La Rete, Trento; Con-sorzio Sol.Co. Città Aperta, Bergamo; Cooperativa sociale Kaleidoscopio,Povo-Trento; Associazione Ubalda Bettini Girella, Rovereto; Agricoltura Capodarco Cooperativa Sociale, Grottaferrata-Rome; Angsa Umbria Onlus, Perugia.

In order to help graduates enter into the workforce, Euricse also facilitates connections between students and the organisation’s contacts and membership network. The success of this model is proven by the fact that 88% of graduates find a relevant job placement within six months of finishing the programme. Of these, 49% are within the same organisation where they did their internship.

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A global vision of social enterpriseInterview with Paolo Campagnano, graduate of Euricse’s Master in mana-gement of social enterprises

Paolo Campagnano was born in Milan, Italy, 2� years ago. After high school he moved to Bologna, but he remained deeply attached to his hometown. In Bologna he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropo-logical Sciences with a thesis on su-pernatural experiences in the Acts of the Apostles.

How did your academic back-ground influence your decision to study social enterprises?

The study of anthropology has been crucial in my training: the cen-trality that the person has in this disci-pline is something that I’m very fasci-nated by. However, after graduation, driven by the desire to enter the la-bour market and to “get my feet wet” I sent my CV to Amici dei Bambini, a Milanese NGO focused on interna-tional adoption and cooperation, and began working there. After a year of experience as a desk officer and co-ordinator for five countries in Latin America, I knew it was time for me to deepen my knowledge in this area. I found out that social enterprise, its values and goals, is something I wanted to be part of, but at the time I couldn’t yet imagine my role within the sector. That is when I found out about Euricse’s Master in manage-ment of social enterprises and I de-cided to give it a try.

What motivated you to enrol in Euricse’s Master in Management of Social Enterprises?

I chose this Master for several rea-sons: firstly because I had heard good things from people who already had contact with Euricse. The Master’s

programme seemed complete and designed to develop all the necessary skills for the management of social enterprises. It included six months of lessons and five months of practice in the field, and what’s more, it offered me the possibility to move to Trento, a city that seemed ideal for studying. Also, when I got in touch with Paolo Fontana, head of Training for Euricse, I really appreciated his availability and support in helping me decide whether the Master’s was the best choice for me. Paolo gave me an op-portunity to contact former students and ask them about their experience, and I think that this practice is an im-portant sign of transparency. Finally the names of the professors involved was further proof of the quality of the programme. My decision was also in-fluenced by the fact that the rate of placement of former students was high and that I could add some very specific competences to my CV.

Training


What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Master’s Pro-gramme?

The Master gave me a global vi-sion of the world of “social enter-prise” and the tools to understand it and operate within it. The variety of teachers, the variety and the intensity of lessons guaranteed a “�60 degrees approach” allowing us to go into depth on specific subjects according to our own interests. Moreover, the class was varied and well-selected, which was very stimulating. Ours was a small group of young people with different experiences, but united by the same interest. We immediately bonded, and after the Master’s ex-perience some of us continued to collaborate on a professional level. I believe that the main strengths of the Master is the broadness of topics and consequently the overall vision that the Master offers to the students. The weak point is the vastness which makes it difficult to study certain fields or modules more in-depth.

What is the Hub? Why did you choose the internship at the Hub in London?

The Hub is a global network of spaces and people with the main goal of social innovation and the develop-ment of social enterprises. The first Hub was created in London in 2005, and at the moment there are 20 active Hubs worldwide and 60 more open-ing in the near future. The Hub arrived in Italy thanks to Alberto Masetti-Zan-nini, the promoter of the first Italian Hub, which was opened last Decem-ber in Milan. My first encounter with the Hub was virtual, thanks to their blog. Then I met Albert and that’s how my journey across the network started. I was immediately attracted and fascinated by the reality of the Hub, by its innovation, by its way of

supporting entrepreneurship and the development of projects which starts by creating a “home” for the entre-preneurs. The Hubs actually consist of a physical space and a community of innovators and hosts or animators of the space. Thanks to Euricse’s Mas-ter’s programme, I had the opportu-nity do my internship right in the first Hub, at Islington, as a host and work-ing on a social impact study.

Tell us something about the Hub of Rovereto (Italy)

The Hub Rovereto was born from a meeting between me and Jari Og-nibeni and a few important circum-stances. In fact, the Hub Rovereto will be located within the former Tobacco Factory in Rovereto. This area will be reconstructed and become a sustain-ability centre in Trentino. Apart from me and Jari there are two other mem-bers of the Rovereto Hub team: Dalia Macii and Andrea Zamboni. The Hub will hopefully begin activities next summer (2010). The aim is to be a ref-erence to all those people who have ideas about how to make the world a better place and who need support and access to knowledge and re-sources. The Hub Rovereto organizes meetings on issues that concern so-cial innovation and social enterprise, using the contacts and knowledge that come from being a part of a glo-bal network. Many entrepreneurs, professionals, and people with ideas have already been in contact with the Hub. We would like to make them feel at home and we are very pleased with the group that is gradually form-ing around the Hub and this makes us even more hopeful for the success of this initiative. Success that we hope will translate into real support for so-cial entrepreneurship, young and will-ing to risk - this entrepreneurship that also represents us.

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Advanced training course: administration and management of social enterprises

The success and appeal of the Master in Management of Social Enterprises at the national level inspired a collaboration with the Consorzio Universitario di Pordenone (Pordenone University Consortium), which, with the help of Euricse, has instituted an advanced training course in administration and management of social enterprises. Many of the instructors from Euricse’s Master’s programme also contribute to this course.

The course was developed as a response to the need for innovation and training identified through an analysis performed with a selected group of stakeholders in the Pordenone area. The course is a very effective training tool, and it provides a place for reflection on the issues related to the third sector conceived as a dynamic reality, with great potential and in constant evolution. Last year there were 25 participants.

Trainings offered to our membersEuricse offered training sessions for our members throughout the year based

on specific needs within particular organizations.

Ongoing training for the InConcerto consortiumFor three years now, Euricse has provided a permanent training programme

for the InConcerto Consortium. The main objectives of the courses are to:– Update participants on current themes regarding the economic, political,

social, and legal context of social cooperatives and enterprises;– Conduct in-depth analysis of selected themes that were treated in the previ-

ous training course and are considered helpful;– Combine theory with practical examples, case studies and class work pro-

posed by individual cooperatives and coordinated by the course organizers;– Experiment, wherever possible, with work groups that can tackle particular

themes related to the local entrepreneurship environment through specific exercises and talks;

– Provide opportunities for exchange, debate and cross-fertilization with other entrepreneurial organizations.

Towards community social enterprise: training course for the development of entrepreneurial and managerial skills for the Consortium “Città Aperta”

In 2009 Euricse created a training programme for the Consortium Città Aperta from Bergamo with the aim of guiding the development of the Consortium and the cooperatives associated with it towards a community social enterprise model.

Objectives of the training course include:– Redefinition of the mission of the Consortium in line with the concept of

"community social enterprise";– Redefinition of the pact between the Consortium and associated cooperatives;– Writing a business plan of the Consortium that contains innovative project

proposals made by associated cooperatives;– Assisting the individual cooperatives with the preparation and elaboration of

their own business plans.

Training


Dissemination A year of events

and publications

5�Titolo capitolo

The events and activities organized by Euricse are intended to promote study and research on cooperative and social enterprises, as well as nonprofit organi-zations more generally. Seminars and conferences enhance academic and sci-entific communication from an international and multidisciplinary perspective. They promote the cultural and professional growth of social and cooperative entrepreneurs as well as of the managers and administrators of those organiza-tions.

Euricse’s publishing activities centre on the diffusion of outcomes and results from our research, training, consulting and development activities.

And Practitioner Forums are organized with the aim of collaborating with leaders in the sector to inform the centre’s research, consulting and training actvities.


Conferences2nd EMES International conference on social enterprises was

held in Trento from July 1st to 4th, 2009. More than 150 research-ers from �6 counties from all over the world gathered to discuss management issues, theoretical and empirical analyses, innovation, conceptual aspects, legal framework, public policies, institutional frameworks and other important aspects of social enterprise.

The financial crises: the credit cooperative challenges1�th June 2009Could financial crises pose opportunities for cooperative banks?

And are cooperative banks ready for this challenge? Which strate-gies should they adopt in order to reinforce their position on the market and gain competitive advantage? These are just some of the questions this Conference tried to answer.

International Seminar “The Cooperative Enterprise between National Taxation and the European Market”

This international seminar was held in Trento on September 11-12, 2008. Experts from Germany, Spain, Sweden and Italy analyzed contentious issues regarding cooperatives, national taxation and the European market from economic, fiscal and legal points of view. More than 100 people participated in this event.

ICA Research conference 2008“The Role of Cooperatives in Sustaining Development and Fos-

tering Social Responsibility” took place from the 15th to the 18th of October, 2008 in Riva del Garda (Trento, Italy). The Conference was organized by Issan (Istituto Studi Sviluppo Aziende Nonprofit) and ICA (International Co-operative Alliance) in cooperation with Euricse.

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SeminarsThe third sector, citizen participation and co-production of personal so-

cial services in Sweden – towards a new paradigmNovember 18th 2008, with Victor Pestoff of the Institute for Civil Society Stud-

ies, Ersta Sköndal University College - Stockholm (Sweden)

Insolvency and employee buyouts: Spain pioneers a sustainable model of democratic corporate governance

November 24th 2008, with Anthony Jensen, University of Sydney (Australia)

Quality in social cooperatives: measures and statistical modelsDecember 19th 2008, with Maurizio Carpita of the University of Brescia (Italy)

The challenges of the cooperative movementApril �th to �0th 2009, with Ian MacPherson, British Columbia

Institute for Co-operative Studies (Canada).

Ian MacPherson is the Director of the British Columbia In-stitute for Co-operative Studies at the University of Victoria in Canada and has written and spoken extensively on coopera-tives around the world. He was instrumental in the International Cooperative Alliance’s adoption of a statement of identity for the twenty-first century. Currently, he is co-director of the Na-tional Hub, a research programme on the possibilities of the Social Economy in Canada.

In April 2009, Professor MacPherson was a guest of Euricse. During this time, he conducted ten lecture sessions in which he shared some of his studies. MacPherson approached issues such as the history and activities of the cooperative movement in the USA and Canada, the origin and significance of coop-erative values, and the potential for cooperation in developing countries.

Towards a new legal theory for cooperative enterprisesJuly 21st 2009, with Cynthia Giagnocavo, research fellow at the University of

Almería (Spain)

Estimating the economic impact of U.S. cooperativesNovember 10th 2009, with Ann Hoyt from the University of Wisconsin (USA)

Cooperative firms: the balance between local development and global competition

December 2nd 2009, with Saverio Scarpellino from the Sapienza University of Rome (Italy)

Dissemination


Voices from around the worldInterviews with EMES Conference participants

Sebastian Gatica, Chile: I’m doing my Ph.D. in London. I have been working in Ngos on social enterprises, community work, economic development, housing and microfinance. This is my first Academic conference. I attended many practitioner conferences, and I believe that more connection between aca-demics and practitioners would be really useful. Now there is not a real and effective connection; My Ph.D. is on Brazil and the cooperative movement. I will run a research in Salvador Bahia to see how local assets work in a specific territory favouring or not the development of social economy. And I will stress the rea-sons why public agencies have a crucial role in collective actions and decision-making. I’m interested in the Brazilian context in order to understand how social enterprises could be supported and to export this experience to Chile where there is wide social economy, but it is not so recognized. I’m really happy to have come here because I could have feedback on my topic.

Sofia Adam, Greece: My Ph.D. is about work integration and social enterprises in Greece. I’m trying to develop a theo-retical analysis to conceptualize the social economy in Greece. My starting point is the fact that, compared with the rest of Eu-rope, social enterprises is an underdeveloped sector in Greece. We have just a few cooperatives in the rural domain and one that tackles psychiatric diseases. Moreover, most Greek coop-eratives are financed by the European union and so I want to understand the causes of this situation. This conference has been really useful for me because in Greece this topic is not so studied, either academically or at the practical level. The best part is that it has not been so formal so you could meet people and experience the connection I lived last year in the Corsica summer school.

5�

Neema Mori, Tanzania: I’m originally from Tanzania, but am now studying in Norway. I study decision-making in microfi-nance with particular attention to social enterprises. Our society is still very poor, but there are many initiatives and social enter-prises that try to improve the general condition of our people. Nevertheless, these initiatives are not recognized yet. The main problem is that policy-makers are not well advised about this reality and my purpose is to try to improve our knowledge and our understanding about it.

Kim ShinYang, South Korea: I’m a Ph.D. student at the Uni-versity of Liège. I work on a comparative project involving my native country, South Korea, about legislations that improve the development of social enterprises because I think that laws could be a great barrier to the development of the civil society. In South Korea we have a social economy, and after the law on social enterprises in 200� was approved, three or four hundred cooperatives and social enterprises have been recognized. Be-fore, the efforts of the civil society were frustrated by the law so this last policy is an improvement, but not definitive. I think this conference has been really important for me doing a compara-tive study.

Jonnakuti Prashanthi, India: Social enterprises is a term not used as much in India as in western Europe. For us, a social en-terprise is an enterprise that has a social goal so we have not a real clear distinction. In Mumbai we had a conference on social enterprises and so many forms were associated to that defini-tion. My paper is about that, the conceptions of social enter-prise and social economy in India that include all the firms that have a social responsibility. A really good conference, a lot of information to improve the researches and many occasions to meet people of many other countries and discuss with them.

Dissemination


Practitioner forumsIn order to inform its research, consulting and training activities based on a

detailed and first-hand knowledge of the most important issues facing Trentino cooperatives, Euricse, along with the Federazione Trentina della Cooperazione (Federation of Trentino Cooperatives), will launch a series of Forum (“cantieri”) beginning in 2010.

At the moment, four Forums are in the process of being created: one for agricultural cooperatives, one for credit cooperatives, one for consumption co-operatives and one for worker cooperatives. The goal of each Forum is to assist cooperative practitioners in their work by identifying new research themes as well as applications for the results of completed research projects. Each Forum will provide a group of 15-20 people (selected based on their expertise and experience in their particular area of activity) with an informal and confidential place to discuss relevant issues for the future of cooperation: from governance to organizational models, from the role of members to new growth sectors, from the relationship with local development to the international dimension.

Participants help determine the themes discussed in each Forum. Based on these preferences and requests for further knowledge sharing, Euricse is able to engage external experts and coordinate collaborations with relevant organiza-tions from within the institute’s network. The goal, in fact, of this initiative is to make the most pertinent and recent work on the relevant topics accessible not only to researchers, but above all, to those who manage, run, and make deci-sions in Trentino cooperatives.

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PublicationsOn Euricse’s website, under the “resources” section, useful documents and

materials are available for further exploration and understanding of the role of cooperatives and social enterprises. During 2009, Euricse launched a Working Paper series, took over responsibility for the Italian language journal, Impresa Sociale, and began planning for the publication of new volumes in Italian and English. Our publications include:

Papers

– Euricse Working Papers: this series presents the preliminary results of re-search conducted by Euricse or furnishes reports on other scientific work of particular interest. All papers are refereed and made available online in Italian and/or English. Euricse’s Working Paper Series is a cross-section of various disciplinary perspectives that range from economics, law, sociology, history, and political science. Euricse also plans to make collections available in paper-based format.

– Short Papers: short articles published in non-scientific journals with the aim of disseminating and promoting knowledge more broadly.

– Seminar and Conference Papers: papers presented for seminars and confe-rences organised by Euricse.

Journals– Impresa Sociale: the quarterly monographic journal, now in its twentieth year

of publication, examines scenarios, critical issues and strategies concerning social enterprise.

– International Journal: the launch of a new online scientific publication in English is planned for 2011.

Other Publications– Books: soon to be launched is a series of non-technical "cooperative stud-

ies”. Negotiations on publication of the series are in progress with various publishing houses. Also envisaged is a series of scientific papers almost en-tirely in English.

– Reports: the Biennial Report on Cooperation in Europe will be based on contributions furnished by research centres on cooperation and social en-terprise. An agreement has been reached with the Iris Network (www.irisnet-work.it) for joint publication of the Report on Social Enterprise in Italy.

– Documents: legal and policy documents regarding the cooperative sector and social enterprise.

Dissemination


People and organizationA structure that motivatesand promotes responsibility

61Titolo capitolo

At Euricse, the quality of the work environment is an essential component of our work. We strive for consistency between the subject and focus of our ac-tivities and the environment within which we conduct them. Our organizational structure is therefore not seen simply as a tool to achieve our objectives, but is integral to our mission and aims.

In addition to the eleven permanent staff members who coordinate the insti-tution’s activities and ensure we meet our objectives, Euricse works with:- Project partners and collaborators, especially for research activities.- Occasional contributors to training and diffusion activities.- Scholars from various universities, in particular the University of Trento, who

supervise the research, training, publishing and consulting activities.- Visiting professors and researchers.

People and organizationA structure that motivatesand promotes responsibility

A horizontal and integrated structure


Euricse StaffAleksandra Bobic, Serbia. After nearly ten years of experience as a journalist

for a Serbian newspaper and two years as a correspondent in Italy, Aleksandra joined Issan in 2005. At Euricse she oversees communications, website manage-ment and the organization of events.

Riccardo Bodini, Italy. Riccardo received his undergraduate degree from the University of Bologna in Communication Studies and a Master in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. He then spent seven years in Chicago working for an urban economic development consulting firm, where he worked closely with businesses, foundations, think tanks, government, and community-based organizations on a variety of applied research projects. In January 2010 he joined Euricse, where he applies his experience in research and project management to the development of new projects and fundraising.

Ilana Bodini, United States. Ilana has a Bachelor’s degree in Communica-tion Studies from UCLA and a Master’s degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago. She joined Euricse in January 2010 after working in Chicago as the director of a coalition focused on community development and public health. At Euricse she is working with the Communications area on developing an online journal as well as providing English editing and revision of texts.

Grazia di Dio, Italy. Grazia earned a certification in accounting and com-puter programming in 199� and also holds an ECDL European/International Computer Driving License certification. She has worked for over a decade in accounting and administration and has been with Euricse for the past two years in an administrative role. She is responsible for account management and administration activities for the centre. Her interest in Spanish and desire to further her learning has led her to enrol in the University of Trento Language Mediation and Literary Communication programme, where she is now in her second year.

Sara Depedri, Italy. Sara has been a researcher and lecturer in the Depart-ment of Economics at the University of Trento and the research institute Issan for the last ten years. In 2008 she completed a doctorate in Law and Economy

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through the University of Sienna. For three years she has been conducting the-oretical and empirical research through the Department of Economics at the University of Trento on social cooperation and employment relationships. At Euricse Sara coordinates research activities, tutors in the Master’s programme and is a member of the editorial board of the working paper series.

Antonio Fici, Italy. Antonio is a professor of private law at the University of Molise and of cooperative and social enterprise at the University of Trento. He has taught courses for the Euricse Master in Social Enterprise Management since the early years of the programme. He has authored numerous publica-tions on cooperative society and social enterprises. At Euricse he is responsible for the Consulting area.

Paolo Fontana, Italy. With a degree in Sociology, Paolo began working with Issan in 2001 and then moved to Euricse. He organizes training events, confer-ences and seminars and was involved in the creation of the IRIS Network and the national Workshop on social enterprises. He is now the coordinator of the Training area for Euricse, managing the Master’s programme and trainings for leaders within the cooperative movement.

Giulia Galera, Italy. Giulia has a degree in International and Diplomatic Sci-ences and a doctorate in International Studies. She began working at Issan as a researcher in 2000 and at Euricse she is now responsible for the Research area.

Maricarmen Hernandez Aguilar, Mexico. Maricarmen joined Euricse in September 2009 as the coordinator of the first European Observatory of Coop-eratives and Social Enterprises. She is an empiricist with a strong background in public opinion research and quantitative and qualitative social science method-ologies. Her research interests include behavioural studies, immigration trends, and public policy-making. Maricarmen holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Essex, UK. She was born in Mexico City.

Monica Loss, Italy. Monica is Head Administrator of Euricse. She has a de-gree in Economics and a Master in Management of Nonprofit Organisations and Social Cooperatives from the University of Trento. She has been the co-ordinator of three European projects (Framework programme and Network of Excellence). Her main research interest is in social enterprises and specifically social enterprises that create job opportunities for disadvantaged people, at

People and organization


national and European levels. She has written many essays and articles on this topic and participated in workshops and conferences in Europe.

Mariangela Mongera, Italy. Mariangela graduated in Economics at the Uni-versity of Trento, and has a Master in Management of Nonprofit Organisations and Social Cooperatives from the University of Trento and a Ph.D. in Labour Studies from the University of Milan. She collaborated on a several research studies on social cooperatives and nonprofit organizations coordinated by pro-fessor Carlo Borzaga. She also collaborated with Issan from 2000 to 2004 and was a Research Fellow at the Department of Economics, University of Trento from 2004 to 2008. She worked in the Research area of Euricse until December 2009.

Federica Silvestri, Italy. Federica has worked with Professor Carlo Borzaga for over 20 years as an administrative assistant. At Euricse she provides general office management, oversees the editorial office and subscriptions for Impresa Sociale, and is responsible for editing Euricse’s Italian language publications.

Chiara Strano, Italy. Chiara has a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the Univer-sity of Ferrara and a Master’s degree in European Business Law from the Uni-versity of Besançon, France. Before joining Euricse in May 2009, she had various international experiences including an internship at Cooperatives Europe. At Euricse she works as a project officer in the Consulting area.

Francesca Tomasi, Italy. Francesca has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Sci-ence from the University of Bologna and a Master’s degree in Peace-building and Conflict Management from the School of International Studies of Trento. Before joining Euricse in September 2008, she had various international experi-ences at the Italian Embassy in Paris, the Representation of Italian Universities in Brussels, the DG Research of the European Commission in Brussels, and at a local NGO in Nairobi. At Euricse she is responsible for networking activities and for the management of European projects.

Flaviano Zandonai, Italy. With a degree in Sociology from the University of Trento, Flaviano has worked for over ten years in the social cooperation sector in Italy. At Euricse he works in Communications as a content editor. He is also a coordinator for the Iris Network, the Italian network of research institutes on social enterprises.

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Ph.D. students and postdoctoral researchersEuricse provides a scholarship to five Ph.D. students; one from the University

of Trento Doctoral School in Economics and Management and four from the University of Trento Local Development and Global Dynamics Doctoral School. In addition, Euricse coordinates a network of doctoral students (including the five scholarship recipients and five others) interested in the field of cooperative and social enterprises. The institute also finances two post-doctorate fellow-ships: one through the University of Trento Economics Department and one at Euricse.

Post Doc Researchers

Stefano Castriota, Italy. Stefano has a two-year research grant funded by Euricse at the Department of Economics, University of Trento. After graduating at the University “La Sa-pienza” in Rome, he obtained a MSc in Economics from Boc-coni University, a M.Phil. in Finance from the Stockholm School of Economics and a Ph.D. in Economics and Finance from the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”. He also studied at Ehsal in Brussles and at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. He worked for the International Monetary Fund and at the United Nations World Food Programme. He is interested in industrial economics, welfare economics, and social and development economics.

Cecilia Navarra, Italy. In 2009 Cecilia was a research fellow at Euricse. She has a Ph.D. in Economics of Institutions and Creativity from the University of Turin. She studied agricultural cooperatives in Mozambique and worker coop-eratives in Italy. She also collaborated with the Department of Economics at the University of Turin on research about Morrumbala agricultural associations.



Ph.D. Students

Ivana Catturani, Italy. Ph.D. student at the Interdepartmen-tal Centre for Research Training in Economics and Manage-ment (CIFREM), University of Trento. She has an M.A. in Devel-opment Economics from the University of Firenze and a B.A. in International Cooperation and Development from the Univer-sity of Padua. Her M.A. dissertation examined the clustering of fair-trade customers using a model choice experiment; the findings were presented at the European Association of Agri-cultural Economist Conference (Ghent, 2008). She has conduct-ed field studies in Egypt and Sudan. She is working on Italian cooperative mutual banks and their governance.

Michela Giovannini, Italy Ph.D. student at the International Doctoral School in Local Development and Global Dynam-ics, University of Trento. She is a graduate of the University of Padua in Political Science. She has a Master in Management of Nonprofit Organisations and Social Cooperatives from the University of Trento and a Master in Gender Policies from the University of Trento. She previously worked at Euricse conduct-ing research on Work Integration Social Cooperatives in North-ern Italy. Her current research project will analyse the role of the solidarity economy in sustaining balanced development of the economies and societies of Central America.

Jamilya Jeenbaeva, Kyrgyzstan. Ph.D. student at the Inter-national Doctoral School in Local Development and Global Dy-namics, University of Trento. After graduating with a Master of Science in Population and Development, Jamilya worked in her home town, Bishkek, as a development researcher and consult-ant, university lecturer and yoga instructor for 6 years before starting her post-graduate studies at the University of Trento in 2009. Previously, Jamilya worked at The Financial Times of London, for 4 years. Jamilya’s thesis research interests include: environmental conventions, the sociology of knowledge and know-how, why policies as instruments for improving local so-cial and economic structures fail, what makes global humanity’s intellectual resources and are they used to enhance or stifle capabilities, justice, freedoms of local communities and indi-viduals who make these communities.

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Samira Nuhanovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ph.D. student at the International Doctoral School in Local Development and Global Dynamics, University of Trento. Her Ph.D. thesis is a re-search on relations between agricultural cooperatives and rural development in ethnically challenging settings. More specifi-cally, the research will examine whether historical memory that the cooperative sector inevitably carries from the past econom-ic and political system has anything to do with levels of coop-erative efficiency in the present.

Richard Muko Ochanda, Kenya. Ph.D.student at the Inter-national Doctoral School in Local Development and Global Dy-namics, Unievrsity of Trento . He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) and a Master in Organizational Development from United States International University in Nairobi. His Ph.D. thesis is on “The performance and survival of social enterprises using industry analysis framework”. The first part of this project will study the growth and development of Social Cooperatives in Italy using data from the Lombardy region. Secondly it will hope to link so-cial enterprises to the development discourse and, lastly, study the development of the third sector in Eastern Africa.



MembershipEuricse is characterised by Italian law as an associational foundation. It

has the legal status of a private nonprofit and operates with full statutory and management autonomy.

Members are divided into three groups:

Institutional Members are founders of the Institute and they guarantee its continuity:

Cooperatives Europe Federazione Trentina CooperazioneFondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Trento e RoveretoProvincia Autonoma di TrentoUniversità di Trento

Ordinary Members are those that contribute significant resources to the Institute‘s assets or operations:

ACLI Ass.ne Nonprofit NetworkC.C.S. Consorzio Cooperative SocialiCantina Sociale di AvioCassa Centrale Casse RuraliCassa Rurale Aldeno e CadineCassa Rurale Alta Val di Sole e PejoCassa Rurale Alta VallagarinaCassa Rurale Alto Garda e LedroCassa Rurale Bassa AnauniaCassa Rurale Bassa VallagarinaCassa Rurale Bassa ValsuganaCassa Rurale Centro ValsuganaCassa Rurale Centrofiemme

CavaleseCassa Rurale d’AnauniaCassa Rurale della Valle dei LaghiCassa Rurale di BrentonicoCassa Rurale di CaldonazzoCassa Rurale di FiemmeCassa Rurale di GiovoCassa Rurale di IseraCassa Rurale di LavisCassa Rurale di LedroCassa Rurale di Levico TermeCassa Rurale di LizzanaCassa Rurale di MezzocoronaCassa Rurale di Mezzolombardo e S.

Michele all’Adige

Cassa Rurale di Mori-Val di GrestaCassa Rurale di PergineCassa Rurale di PinzoloCassa Rurale di Rabbi e CaldesCassa Rurale di RoncegnoCassa Rurale di Roverè della LunaCassa Rurale di RoveretoCassa Rurale di SopramonteCassa Rurale di Spiazzo e JavrèCassa Rurale di Strembo, Bocenago

e CaderzoneCassa Rurale di Tassullo e NannoCassa Rurale di TrentoCassa Rurale di Tuenno - Val di NonCassa Rurale Olle-Samone-ScurelleCassa Rurale Pinetana, Fornace e

SeregnanoCassa Rurale Val di Fassa e AgordinoCassa Rurale Valli di Primiero e VanoiCMB Società Cooperativa Muratori e

Braccianti di CarpiComune di TrentoCon.Solida. Consorzio Cooperativo

SocialeConsorzio In ConcertoConsorzio Lavoro AmbienteConsorzio Nazionale della

Cooperazione di Solidarietà Sociale Gino Mattarelli CGM

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Consorzio SolCo Città ApertaConsorzio UlisseConsorzio Universitario di PordenoneCooperfidi S.C.Coordinamento Nazionale dei Centri

di Servizio per il VolontariatoEPTAFamiglia Cooperativa CavaleseFederazione Provinciale Scuole

MaterneFINRECOFondazione Cassa di Risparmio di

Bolzano

Fondazione CATISFondazione Hounsing SocialeFondazione Oltre OnlusInformatica Bancaria TrentinaIRECOOP VenetoMezzacorona scaOpera Universitaria Phoenix Informatica Bancaria SpAPromocoop Trentina SpARisto�SAIT Società CooperativaSol.Co VeronaSTART


Associate Members include any public or private body which contributes to the activities of Euricse with a lump sum or annual contribution, or provides other resources or skills:

Cassa Rurale di Castello TesinoLe CosteMandacarù onlus ScsCOPAG cooperativa produttori agricoli giudicariesiComputer Learning

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