Journal of Co-operative Studies Vol 38 Issue 1

Peer-reviewed papers

The shaping of credit union development: the identification of a typology of factors that have contributed towards credit union growth in the United States of America, the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain.

Nicholas Ryder, pp. 5-19

A credit union is a financial co-operative that IS owned and controlled by its members tor their benefit and the local community. The origins of the movement can be traced back to Rochdale in Great Britain, from where it spread to Central Europe, the North American Continent and the rest of the World. The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers served as a precedent and inspiration to many co-operative societies around the world. There are a number of factors that have assisted the development of credit unions — economic hardship, the co-operative movement, the influence of several pioneers, and a credit union legislative framework. It is these factors that this paper concentrates upon, in three differing credit union jurisdictions — Great Britain,  the Republic of Ireland and the United States of America.

An analysis of the credit union’s use of Craig’s commitment building measures.

Noreen Byrne & Olive McCarthy, pp. 20-27

Within an increasingly competitive financial services market, huge resources are pumped into the creation and maintenance of customer loyalty. Within a member-owned co-operative such as a credit union, member loyalty is of even greater importance because it is reliant on its members tor its continued existence. This paper focuses on commitment which is the process whereby the end product of loyalty is created. Various writers nave labelled three different types of commitment: utilitarian which is based on a rational calculation of costs and benefits; affective meaning an emotional attachment to the organisation; and finally ideological which revolves around attachment to an ideal or vision which transcends the organisation.  A co-operative should attempt to build all three types of commitment. This study examines four Irish credit unions in terms of their use of these commitment building measures. It was found that the measures used by Irish credit
unions build utilitarian commitment more so than affective or ideological commitment

Co-operative principles as ‘action recipes’: what does their articulation mean for co-operative futures? 

Andrew Passey, pp. 28-41

This paper offers a theoretical and empirical analysis of how co-operative principles are instituted at the level of organisational practice. Theoretical approaches suggest organisations are composed of both explicit rules and tacit norms. However, co-operatives are an exemplary case of how norms might be formalised within a particular organisational structure. A mail survey of senior staff in co-operatives in the Australian state of New South Wales is used to explore the extent to which these norms are articulated in practice. Survey results and financial data drawn from official sources are then used to consider what the findings might mean for the future of co-operatives in increasingly competitive markets.

Short papers

Developing an active membership and encouraging the new generation of co-operators.

Debbie Holden, pp. 42-44

This short paper looks at the development and production of two toolkits by the Co-operative College. The Just ask membership toolkit is the final output of a two-year action research project with Stirling University, UK. The Not just for profit social enterprise in the school curriculum resource pack focusing on 14-19 age group is also the result of a two-year research project undertaken as part of the West Midlands Social Economy Partnership programmed.

Book reviews

Co-operatives and the millennium development goals. By Johnston Birchall. 2004,  International Labour Organisation.

Reviewed by Rita Rhodes, pp. 45-46

Human resource management in co-operatives: Theory, process and practice. By Peter Davis. 2004, International Labour Organisation.

Reviewed by Bob Quinney, pp. 47-48

Co-operative capital: A new approach to investment in co-operatives and other forms of social enterprise.  By Jim Brown. 2004, Co-operative Action.

Reviewed by Edgar Parnell, pp. 49-50.