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Big society seminar prof. anne power
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Transcript of Big society seminar prof. anne power
Big Society in action: How does the co-operative instinct emerge in low-
income communities?
Anne Power
Professor of Social Policy
London School of Economics
A little personal history
• Tanzania, US, Holloway• Defining co-operation• Pooling resources to maximise shared
gains• Solidarity and reciprocity• Communities and government are inter-
dependent• Tensions can lead to positive outcomes
Human survival depends on co-operation
• Human beings are social animals• Evidence from pre-historic times• Progress accelerates through co-operation• We have moved far into
complex, competitive, unequal groups• But social, political, economic structures
unify societies• So are co-operative models relevant today?
Meaning of Co-operation
• Bottom-up, member controlled, small scale
• Informal and formalised structures
• Multiple models emerge in:
– Complex modern economies –‘big government’
– Advanced fast changing urban communities
– Sophisticated private and public services
– Industrial as well as agricultural production
– Financial, construction, professions, care.
Roots of modern co-operatives –Industrial revolution ‘shocks’
• Labour > wealth > shared unequally
• Powerlessness among masses
• Individuals at bottom group together
• Urgency of survival
– social protection, distribution of benefits, solidarity.
• Higher-level structures to tackle collective conditions
Conditions spawn ‘bottom-up’ groups
• Associations and clubs• Friendly societies• Mutual aid and self-help groups• Generates ‘bottom-up’ solutions• Co-operative producers, builders, retail• Proliferation of co-operative experiments• Rochdale weavers galvanised movement• Spread world-wide from UK
Alongside powerful social movements
• Public health bodies• Local government• Evangelical ‘chapels’• Trade unions• ‘One man one vote’• Women’s suffrage• Civil rights• Leading to ‘top-down’ systems• Building on ‘bottom-up’ demands
Co-operation advances human condition along many lines
• Pure ‘survival goods’ through collective savings e.g. food, clothes, tools
• Sanitary homes at reduced cost through collective building organisations (Spain, Scandinavia)
• Health, unemployment, death insurance (Italy)
• Education, learning (Denmark)
• Democracy, participation, voice (US Civil Rights)
• Shared work and shared profits (Basque)
• Savings investment for individuals and common good
Powerful ‘niche organisations’ work alongside government
• Health and social care – Italy, Belgium
• Housing – Spain, Scandinavia
• Retail – Britain, France, Spain
• Industrial production – Spain/Basque
• Architecture and engineering – UK/Arup
• Fisheries – Japan, West Africa
• Micro-credit – Grameen, Bangladesh
• Savings and insurance – worldwide
Core principles of co-operation
• Open membership
• Democratic control – one member one vote
• Distribution of surplus value
• Limited interest on capital
• Political and religious neutrality
• Promotion of education
• Strictly limited borrowing
Conditions of success – inspiration
• Pressing, visible problems and acute need
• Common cause and unifying idea
• Clear targets for action
• Small early steps
• Trust – clear mutual benefits
• Reciprocity – elements of self-interest
• Shared gains
Conditions of success – organisation
• Leadership from within
• Organising skills and business development
• Ideas and access brokers
• Ideas and action planning
• System of member savings and investment
• Financial controls and probity
• Ground rules – mediating, resolving conflict
• Transparency
Co-operative organisations today
• Tenant co-operative and tenant management organisations
• Play-schemes, Nurseries
• Mondragon industrial co-operatives
• Employee owned services - Locke Fyne Oyster Co, John Lewis, Ove Arup
• Rapid expansion of Co-op Group since financial crisis
Deprived Council estates –unlikely co-operative enterprises
• Public landlord problems
• Tough conditions on ‘rough’ estates
• Steady revenue stream in rents
• Consultation or control
• Local knowledge and commitment prevails
• Local management and local budgets
• Local management saves money and creates jobs
• Hands-on, learnable skills and training
Outcomes
• Higher tenant satisfaction
• Higher quality service
• Managing within budget
• Conserving scarce resource
• Better environments
• Higher rewards for effort
• Mutual gains
• Long-lasting community benefits
• Widespread model – Glasgow, Liverpool, London
Lessons for government
• Complex public framework of support systems
• Essential in complex societies
• Welfare v. market
• Fair distribution of resources requires government
• How to BROKER community self interest and limit market failures
• Overarching framework of rules
• Community instincts useful and strong
• Training and ‘hand-holding’
• ‘Top down’ and ‘bottom up’