Cooperatives — businesses owned and democratically controlled by their members — represent one of the world's largest and most resilient economic movements. According to the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), the 300 largest cooperatives generate over $2 trillion in annual turnover, and more than one billion people worldwide are members of a cooperative.
Unlike conventional corporations, cooperatives distribute profits among members rather than external shareholders, and decisions are made on a one-member, one-vote basis. This structure has proven particularly durable during economic downturns, with studies showing cooperatives tend to preserve jobs at higher rates than investor-owned firms during recessions.
The cooperative model spans a wide range of sectors, from agriculture and finance to retail and housing. Well-known examples include Mondragon Corporation in Spain, one of the world's largest worker cooperatives with tens of thousands of employee-owners, and REI in the United States, a consumer cooperative with millions of members. In Canada, the Desjardins Group remains one of the largest financial cooperatives in North America.
Advocates argue that cooperatives offer a practical path toward reducing inequality, strengthening local economies, and building more sustainable businesses. As interest in alternative economic models grows amid concerns about wealth concentration and corporate power, cooperatives are increasingly being discussed as a viable mainstream option rather than a niche experiment.
