Editing Cooperative (section)

=== Multi-stakeholder cooperatives ===
Multi-stakeholder cooperatives include representation from different stakeholder groups, such as both consumers and workers.

==== Social cooperative ====
{{Main|Social cooperative}}

Cooperatives traditionally combine social benefit interests with capitalistic property-right interests. Cooperatives achieve a mix of social and capital purposes by democratically governing distribution questions by and between equal but not controlling members. Democratic oversight of decisions to equitably distribute assets and other benefits means capital ownership is arranged in a way for social benefit inside the organization. External societal benefit is also encouraged by incorporating the operating-principle of cooperation between co-operatives. In the final year of the 20th century, cooperatives banded together to establish a number of [[social enterprise]] agencies that have moved to adopt the multi-stakeholder cooperative model. In the years 1994–2009 the EU and its member nations gradually revised national accounting systems to "make visible" the increasing contribution of [[social economy]] organizations.<ref>Monzon, J. L. & Chaves, R. (2008) "The European Social Economy: Concept and Dimensions of the Third Sector", ''Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics'', 79(3/4): 549–577.</ref>

A particularly successful form of multi-stakeholder cooperative is the Italian "social cooperative", of which some 11,000 exist.<ref>In 2011 the official total was 11,264: ISTAT, ''9° Censimento dell'industria e dei servizi'' (Roma, 2011)</ref> "Type A" social cooperatives bring together providers and beneficiaries of a social service as members. "Type B" social cooperatives bring together permanent workers and previously unemployed people who wish to integrate into the labor market. They are legally defined as follows:
* no more than 80% of profits may be distributed, interest is limited to the bond rate, and dissolution is altruistic (assets may not be distributed)
* the cooperative has legal personality and limited liability
* the objective is the general benefit of the community and the social integration of citizens
* those of type B integrate disadvantaged people into the labour market. The categories of disadvantage they target may include physical and mental disability, drug and alcohol addiction, developmental disorders and problems with the law. They do not include other factors of disadvantage such as unemployment, race, sexual orientation or abuse.
* type A cooperatives provide health, social or educational services
* various categories of stakeholder may become members, including paid employees, beneficiaries, volunteers (up to 50% of members), financial investors and public institutions. In type B cooperatives at least 30% of the members must be from the disadvantaged target groups
* voting is one person one vote

==== SCIC ====
The SCIC – ''Société coopérative d'intérêt collective'' (co-operative society of collective interest) is a type of multi-stakeholder co-operative structure introduced in France in 1982. A SCIC must have at least three different categories of members, including users and employees. Other stakeholder groups that may be represented are volunteers, public authorities and other individual or corporate supporters. Voting is on a 'one member, one vote' basis, though voting in colleges is also provided for under certain circumstances.

SCICs must have a 'general interest' objective. Public bodies can subscribe for up to 20% of the capital. The status allows an association to convert into a co-operative without having to change its legal form. The relative rigidity of the structure, combined with the government's failure to grant tax relief, has limited its take-up.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

==== Multi-stakeholding in retailing ====
Multi-stakeholder co-operatives also exist in the retail sector. An example is Färm,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.farm.coop/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2020010_RapportAnnuel-2019-8juli-web-3.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2 October 2020 |archive-date=20 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920144239/https://www.farm.coop/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2020010_RapportAnnuel-2019-8juli-web-3.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> a Belgian wholefood retailing cooperative founded in 2015 which favours organic and local produce. It operates 16 shops, of which 11 are in Brussels.

'''Categories of members:'''

The cooperative brings together all the participants in the food chain from farm to fork, represented by six different categories of members:
* A '''Investors''': the people providing the financial means necessary to achieve the enterprise's ambitions, currently four of the project's founders. This category holds 94% of the shares but only exercises 50% of the votes. The board will consider applications from people wishing to invest in excess of €25,000;
* B '''Managers''': the members of Färm's management;
* C '''Workers''': members of staff working at Färm, who currently number 36;
* D '''Sympathisers''': clients and people who want to support the project without having a contractual or commercial relationship with it. Anyone can become part of this category by buying shares worth a minimum of €105 (currently 5 shares of €21), and a maximum of €5,000. As of September 2020 the cooperative was not accepting new members;
* E '''Suppliers and producers''': there is no obligation to hold shares in order to collaborate commercially with Färm, but the enterprise finds it nice that the two groups support each other;
* F '''Supporters''': self-employed people who have opened a store under the Färm brand.

'''Governance'''

Each member has one vote. The members elect the board of 10 at the annual general meeting. Each category of members has at least one board member to represent them.

An innovative governance provision ensure that no one group of members can dominate the others. In practice board decisions are taken by consensus. In the event of a vote, each director has one vote, and except where the cooperative's registered or internal rules provide otherwise, decisions are taken by simple majority of those present or represented. But in the event of a tie, if the votes of a group of voters all belong to the same category, the votes of the other categories prevail.

To ensure that members are committed to the cooperative's values, vision and objectives, to guarantee its long-term finance and to limit financial speculation, shares are not transferable for a period of four years.

Members receive a 2% discount on purchases.

==== New generation cooperative ====
'''New generation cooperatives''' (NGCs) are an adaptation of traditional cooperative structures to modern, capital intensive industries. They are sometimes described as a hybrid between traditional co-ops and limited liability companies or public benefit corporations. They were first developed in California and spread and flourished in the US [[Mid-West]] in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/bmi6646 |title=New Generation Cooperatives – 10 Things You Need to Know |publisher=Government of Alberta: Agriculture and Rural Development |access-date=25 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204110457/http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/bmi6646 |archive-date=4 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> They are now common in Canada where they operate primarily in agriculture and food services, where their primary purpose is to [[value added|add value]] to [[primary products]]. For example, producing [[Ethanol fuel|ethanol]] from [[maize|corn]], pasta from [[durum wheat]], or [[Goat's milk cheese|gourmet cheese]] from [[goat's milk]].