Co operatives: Linking Practice and Theory

What are co-operatives, and why do they exist? What's the difference between a co-operative and an investor-owned firm, or between a co-operative and social enterprise? Do co-operatives work, and are they political?Policymakers, researchers, and practitioners looking to expand their understanding of co-operative forms and structures, and the broader co-operative movement, will find answers to these questions and more.Ian Adderley is a lawyer, with extensive experience in the co-operative movement. Here he links the practice and theory of co-operatives and explores the co-operative movement from its history to present day operation. Law, economics, politics, governance, and finance are some of the topics covered in this wide-ranging account of the co-operative movement.The work is supported by the UK Society for Co-operative Studies, a charity advancing education on these topics, of which Adderley is a trustee and former chair.