Emilia-Romagna Cooperatives

Here is an interesting PDF on the cooperative businesses in Emilia Romagna, Italy. There are nearly 3,000 employee-owned cooperatives in the region, with the Communist Legacoop and the Catholic Confcooperative among the leading organizations.

Emilia Romagna

6 comments:

George Carmody Monday, November 24, 2008 at 11:37:00 AM CST  

Interesting article. What are the differences between the Catholic co-ops and the Communist ones?

Richard Aleman Monday, November 24, 2008 at 5:39:00 PM CST  

Hi GM,

I believe other than an ideological difference, they both offer services for smaller coops in the region, under the guidelines of the ICA (International Cooperative Alliance).

They support the development of other cooperatives, promote local goods and cooperative enterprises.

Hans Georg Lundahl Tuesday, November 25, 2008 at 7:47:00 AM CST  

click to page 3:

"destroyed or taken over"

I would like to know what a fascist take-over meant. No Marxist literature, fonctionaries heavily party loyal to left or known to be masonic eliminated, that is for sure ... but apart from that?

Richard Aleman Tuesday, November 25, 2008 at 2:49:00 PM CST  

Hi Hans,

I don't know what they meant in particular, or what the circumstances were, other than the fact they were shut down for the most part.

In some cases, they have been taken over as a result of their affiliations.

Hans Georg Lundahl Wednesday, November 26, 2008 at 2:02:00 AM CST  

taken over ... my precise point is: was a cooperative taken over by fascists automatically more oppressive than before?

George Carmody Wednesday, November 26, 2008 at 7:26:00 AM CST  

Hi Richard,

Thanks for mentioning the ICA - I'd not been aware of their existence until you mentioned them. Good to know that there's an international voice for distributism, even if governments choose not to listen!

I was particularly interested in the Emilia-Romagna co-ops' provision of healthcare. In the UK when any criticism is made of the state system (a socialist creation), we are told that the only alternative is "the American system", by which is meant for-profit insurance schemes with horror stories (urban myths?) of patients being left on the steps of hospitals because their insurance didn't cover them. So you see, a reasoned, balanced, unemotional socialist response to criticism...not! The co-operative third way merits further investigation (by me) as it clearly works.

I'm intrigued at Communist involvement in co-ops as, from what I can see, they tend to remove and reduce the role of the state - something no good Marxist would tolerate.

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