Journal of Co-operative Studies 55(1), 101-117
Creating and supporting co-operative members in the West Midlands
| Open access |  | Editorial reviewed/Reprint article | Published online: Dec 2023 |
Creating and supporting co-operative members in the West Midlands.
Richard Simmons and Johnston Birchall
Journal of Co-operative Studies 55(1), 101-117
Orginally published in Journal of Co-operative Studies, 37(1), April 2004, 23-37.
https://doi.org/10.61869/LSEB4017
How to cite this paper: Simmons, R. & Birchall, J. (2022). Creating and supporting co-operative members in the West Midlands. Journal of Co-operative Studies, 55(1), 101-117. https://doi.org/10.61869/LSEB4017 (Original work published 2004).
Abstract
Member participation is widely considered to be the lifeblood of democratic member-owned organisations such as consumer co-operatives. However, despite this recognition of its importance, active participation is often lower than desired. In this article we first establish why this is an important issue for consumer co-operatives to address. We then present a theoretical model we call the ‘Participation Chain’, which aims to unravel some of the complexity that inheres in an important question that has, up to now, received little systematic attention — namely ‘what motivates co‑operative members to participate?’. Finally, we present some research findings from a recent research project that tested the model with two types of consumer co-operative in the West Midlands region: housing and retail co-operatives. This research was conducted in partnership with the Co‑operative College as part of a larger project that aimed to find new ways to create and support active ‘stakeholder members’, and therefore vivify processes of member involvement in the West Midlands.
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