Series - Editorial Fellowship: Community Transitions and Resilience

Business students don’t often learn about co-operative models — why not?

Author Tahmeed Shafiq
“We’re constantly being influenced by capitalist organization models, so no one’s ever an expert in co-ops.”

Why It Matters

Co-op workers say a lack of awareness is holding the co-operative business model back, but including this alternative in university and college curriculum could bring more young innovators into the fold.

var TRINITY_TTS_WP_CONFIG = {"cleanText":"Business students don\u2019t often learn about co-operative models \u2014 why not?. This independent journalism is made possible by a Future of Good editorial fellowship on community resilience, funded by Cooperators. See our editorial ethics and standards here .\u00a0 When Dionne Pohler was a child in Spalding, Saskatchewan, co-operatives were the only businesses in town. The village of roughly 300 was served by a credit union and a Co-op Food Store, where the manager knew everyone\u2019s name and let residents keep a tab. Pohler remembers it as a friendly and welcoming place. Years later, while working towards her PhD, Pohler was employed by a retail co-op in Saskatoon. She then went on to research collective organizations \u2014 like labour unions a

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