Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Labour
Organization
Resilience of the
Cooperative Business Model
in Times of Crisis
Resilience of
the Cooperative Business Model
in Times of Crisis
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Table of contents
Summary........................................................................2
Introduction ....................................................................3
1
Summary
The financial and ensuing economic crisis has had negative impacts on the ma-
jority of enterprises; however, cooperative enterprises around the world are
showing resilience to the crisis. Financial cooperatives remain financially
sound; consumer cooperatives are reporting increased turnover; worker coop-
eratives are seeing growth as people choose the cooperative form of
enterprise to respond to new economic realities.
Why is this form of enterprise proving so resilient?
This report will provide historical evidence and current empirical evidence
that proves that the cooperative model of enterprise survives crisis, but more
importantly that it is a sustainable form of enterprise able to withstand crisis,
maintaining the livelihoods of the communities in which they operate. It will
further suggest ways in which the ILO can strengthen its activity in the promo-
tion of cooperatives as a means to address the current crisis and avert future
crisis.
2
Introduction
The recent massive public bail-out of private, investor-owned banks has un-
derlined the virtues of a customer-owned cooperative banking system that is
more risk-averse and less driven by the need to make profits for investors and
bonuses for managers. Savings and credit cooperatives also known as credit
unions or SACCOs, building societies and cooperative banks all over the world
are reporting that they are still financially sound, and that customers are
flocking to bank with them because they are highly trusted. The point is an im-
portant one, because the cooperative banking sector is extraordinarily large;
the World Council of Credit Unions has 49,000 credit unions in membership,
with 177 million individual members in
96 countries. The International Raiffeisen Union estimates that 900,000 coop-
eratives with around 500 million members in over 100 countries are working
according to the cooperative banking principles worked out in Germany by
Friedrich Raiffeisen. In Europe alone, there are 4200 local cooperative banks,
around 60,000 branches and a market share of 20%. The banks serve 45 million
members and 159 million customers.3 Some of the largest banks in the world
are cooperatives: Rabobank, for instance, has 50% of Dutch citizens in mem-
bership, is the largest agricultural bank in the world, and is rated the world’s
third safest bank. 4 The essence of cooperative banking is quite simple. It is
that members, who include both savers and borrowers, use the cooperative to
recycle money from those who have it to those who need it, without anybody
outside taking a profit and with interest rates set so that the system works in
everyone’s interest.
3
DeVries, B (2009) European Cooperative Banks in financial and economic turmoil, Paper
for the UN Expert Group Meeting on Cooperatives, April, New York
4
By Global Finance Magazine. It is also the only privately-owned bank with the highest pos-
sible credit ratings (see OCDC, 2007)
3
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
This report begins by providing historical evidence that cooperatives are good
in a crisis. This sets up a plausible generalisation that they will continue to be
good in the current crisis.
The report then tests out this generalisation by providing theoretical argu-
ments and empirical evidence for and against it. It is in two parts.
In the first part, it investigates the claim that cooperative banks and savings
and credit cooperatives are better able to withstand the banking crisis and
economic recession than the investor-owned banks. It presents arguments for
the advantages and disadvantages of ‘member-owned’ banks and tests these
against the evidence. It finds that, so far, cooperatives are in an unusually
strong position; they have not been damaged much by the banking crisis, and
are growing strongly as
customers switch
their business away
from the discredited
investor-owned banks
and other enterprises
to what they see as a
more risk-averse and
trustworthy sector.
In the second part,
the report then con-
siders two important
policy aims - financial
inclusion and employ-
ment creation - pre-
senting evidence for
the importance of cooperatives in achieving them during a time of economic
recession.
Finally, the report considers the policy implications of these findings for gov-
ernments and banking regulators and what the ILO can do with regard the pro-
motion of cooperatives.
4
1. Cooperatives thrive in times
of crisis
During an agricultural depression in 1860s Germany, a social reformer,
Friedrich Raiffeisen, provided emergency food aid to hungry farmers and their
families, but then realised that what they really needed was credit to help
them to modernise their methods and gain access to markets for their produce.
He designed a new type of savings and credit cooperative which was enthusias-
tically taken up by the farmers; the idea of the rural cooperative bank spread
throughout mainland Europe, and led to promotion of supply and marketing co-
operatives. Together, they helped develop the modern farm economy. At the
same time, another social reformer, Schultze-Delitsch, invented a similar type
of cooperative bank for townspeople, providing credits to enable artisans and
small business people to survive in the rapid economic changes and frequent
depressions that accompanied the industrial revolution. Similarly, in the United
States, during the Great Depression in the 1930s, a cooperative bank was set up
with government support under the New Deal, to provide vital farm credits. At
this time, the Federal Credit Union Act was passed ‘to ensure credit unions
made credit available to “people of small means”’, and it is interesting to note
that The Act was ‘meant to stabilize an imbalanced global financial system’. 5
Also in the United States during the Great Depression, agricultural cooperatives
began to be formed in large numbers. Cooperative farm supply purchasing
grew from US$76 million in 1924 to US$250 million in 1934, and spread to all
parts of the USA. It was around this time that Land O’Lakes emerged as a signifi-
cant regional dairy cooperative. Also there was a rapid growth in petroleum co-
operatives supplying farmers; by 1935 there were around 2000 of them
5
Meyer, M. (2008). Does Capitalism Need Cooperation? Cooperative Business Journal
November/December p4
5
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
supplying products
worth US$40 million.
There was government
support in the form of
credit, but farmers
were encouraged to
take control of their
own cooperative banks.
By 1935 there were
10,500 farmer cooper-
atives with a member-
ship of 3.66 million
farmers.6
Similarly, in Sweden af-
ter the price collapse of
1930, instead of cooperatives giving way to state marketing boards, coopera-
tive federations took control in farm credit, dairy, forestry, eggs, meat and
fruit, presided over by a strong National Union of Swedish Farmers.
In a more recent depression in farm prices in the US and Canada, a new type of
cooperative was devised that aligns farmer share-ownership to delivery rights,
thus enabling farmers to go into food processing. There are around 200 of these
‘new generation’ cooperatives, and they have raised the incomes of farmers
dramatically and revitalised the local economies of North Dakota, Minnesota
and neighbouring states. 7 More recently, the BSE (or mad cow) crisis in Canada
was the major impetus behind cattle producers in Alberta, Canada forming
several producer cooperatives in the province. 8
During the 1840s in Britain, at a time of desperate economic hardship, retail
consumer cooperatives began to be formed among textile workers as the only
alternative to emigration or starvation. They weathered many crises, includ-
ing two world wars and the great depression, coming out stronger every time
until by the 1950s they had 12% of the retail trade and had given rise to similar
6
USDA Rural Development (1935) Cooperatives help farmers survive the great depression,
accessed April 2009 at www.rurdev.usda.gov
7
Merrett, C and Walzer, N (eds, 2001) A Cooperative Approach to Local Economic Develop-
ment, Quorum Books
8
Canadian Cooperative Association (2005, Dec) Coops in Alberta Fact Sheet. Retrieved
from: http://www.coopscanada.coop/pdf/Sector/FactSheet/Alberta%20coops.pdf
6
Resilience of the cooperative business model in times of crises
9
Birchall, J (1994) Coop: the People’s Business, Manchester University Press
10
Birchall (2003) Rediscovering the Cooperative Advantage, Geneva: ILO p55-57
11
Coldwell Banker. Understanding Cooperatives and Condominiums
12
Howarth, M (2007) Worker cooperatives and the phenomenon of empresas recuperadas in
Argentina, Manchester: Cooperative College
13
Birchall, J (2003) op cit p48-51
7
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
14
See www.ica.coop for the Global 300 project
15
Develtere, P, Pollet, I and Wanyama, F (2008) Cooperating out of Poverty: the renaissance
of the African cooperative movement, Geneva: ILO
8
Resilience of the cooperative business model in times of crises
9
2. Why are cooperatives good
in a crisis?
2.1 The cooperative model of enterprise
Cooperatives are
member-owned busi-
nesses. The simplest
way to understand
them is that they ag-
gregate the market
power of people who
on their own could
achieve little or noth-
ing, and in so doing © ILO/M. Crozet
16
See International Cooperative Alliance website, www.ica.coop
10
Resilience of the cooperative business model in times of crises
11
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
stakeholders is put at
the centre of the
business. This gives us
three classes: con-
sumer cooperatives,
producer coopera-
tives and worker co-
operatives. There is
one interesting com-
plication. Financial
cooperatives – coop-
erative banks, insur-
ance societies and
credit unions – often
have in membership
people who are consumers of their products and – in their own right – producers.
So farmers and small businesses can be members alongside private individuals.
As long as the interests of each group do not conflict, the cooperative works
well.
There are two kinds of comparative advantage to cooperatives: general ones
derived from the nature of cooperatives as member-owned businesses, and
particular ones derived from specific types of cooperative.
The general advantages are derived from membership. Cooperatives are
uniquely member- owned, member-controlled and exist to provide benefits to
members as opposed to profit and this has an impact on business decisions.
When the purposes of the business are aligned with those of members who are
both investors and consumers of the cooperative, the results are loyalty, com-
mitment, shared knowledge, member participation, underpinned by strong
economic incentives. 17 These are the kinds of values any business organisa-
tion would want but that investor-owned business can only achieve by mim-
icking the idea of membership. The general disadvantages are the obverse of
the advantages; when the purposes of the business are not aligned with those
of the members, apathy or cynicism result, members lose interest and cease
to participate. This leads to management pursuing their own interests, and to
complacency and a reinforcement of oligarchic tendencies among the board.
17
Shah, T (1996) Catalysing Cooperation: design of self-governing organisations, New Delhi:
Sage
12
Resilience of the cooperative business model in times of crises
13
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
start ups is better, and the longevity of cooperatives is impressive. They can use
member capital rather than bank borrowing to expand the business, and they
provide services to more risk-averse consumers. More specifically, worker co-
operatives can concentrate on employment creation through labour coopera-
tives, employee buyouts and rescues, consumer cooperatives on lowering the
cost of food and other essentials, and producer cooperatives on making mem-
bers’ businesses more productive.18
It is generally agreed that the recession will hit developing countries hard. It
can be countered by continued strengthening of the savings and credit/credit
union/SACCO sector and development of farmer cooperatives and new cooper-
ative unions or federations to develop their business. Also important are the
strengthening of links between cooperatives North and South, through techni-
cal assistance, product development and fair trade. There are also great oppor-
tunities to continue the development of mutually owned utilities such as
electricity and water.
© ILO/Virot
18
See Birchall, J (2009) Discussion paper at the Expert group meeting on ‘Cooperatives in a
World in Crisis’, 28-30 April 2009, New York
14
3. How are cooperative banks and
credit unions faring in the current crisis?
When former US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan went before Con-
gress in October 2008, he told American lawmakers that the economic melt-
down had revealed a “flaw in the model” that he had not expected – that
banks operating in self-interest would not self-regulate to protect their share-
holders and institutions. 19
The type of ownership and methods of capitalization are two of the key fac-
tors that have created the disparity in the financial positions of credit unions
and banks, to the advantage of savings and credit cooperatives or credit un-
ions. Because these are member owned they tend to be more risk averse com-
pared to other financial institutions. 20 savings and credit cooperatives are not
driven by profits or shareholder interests so they do not feel compelled to
force people into inappropriate loans. 21 Thus, savings and credit coopera-
tives have stayed away from offering the riskier sub-prime loans. They have a
different kind of governance structure, in which local credit unions and coop-
erative banks scrutinise the decisions of the central institutions. In this way,
they are more aware of the fact that the loan they offer to their members is
another member’s money. The direct link of savings and loans, which may not
be as apparent in some banks, acts as a moral constraint.
19
McCabe, D (2009) Economics Shrugged, in University Affairs, April
20
Coombes, A. (2008, April 27). Given Turmoil at Banks, Time May Be Right to Try a Credit
Union. MarketWatch. Retrieved from: http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/in-
dustries/finance/given-turmoil-banks-time-right-try-credit-union/
21
McDougall, P. (2008, September 12) Credit Unions Take On Big Banks. TheStreet.com. Re-
trieved from: http://www.thestreet.com/story/10437101/1/credit-unions-take-on-big-
banks.html
15
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
© ILO/M. Crozet
credit crunch. In comparison to banks, sav-
ings and credit cooperatives or credit un-
ions: (a) tend not to freeze credit (b) have
lower increases in interest rates and (c) are
generally more stable due to different capi-
talization and lending practices.
Reports from the credit union system in both Canada and the US seem to sup-
port these three propositions. 24
Reports indicate that during the economic turmoil, savings and credit cooper-
atives, credit unions and cooperative banks have experienced an increase in
almost every facet of their business including: increase in assets and deposits;
increased volume of lending; increase in membership; a better rate of inter-
est; and greater stability (measured by capital adequacy ratios, and loan de-
22
John Radebaugh from the North Carolina Credit Unions League (NCCCUL) Credit Unions in
Good Shape, 2008
23
deVries, op cit p2
24
Ferri, G. (n.d.). Why Cooperative Banks Are Particularly Important at a Time of Credit
Crunch. Retrieved April 17, 2008 from: http://www.eurocoopbanks.coop/
GetDocument.aspx?id=56d29cf3-4c7d-44a4-8a60-d0e4601fba6c
16
Resilience of the cooperative business model in times of crises
fault rates). They have had very few losses on investments and so far very few
have needed government help.
17
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
ity for savings and credit cooperatives, credit unions and cooperative banks,
and so more money is available for lending.
Volume of lending
While a credit freeze by the large banks has been one of the characteristics of
the financial crisis, this has not been the case for the majority of financial co-
operatives in the United States and Canada. In the US, loans by credit unions
increased from US$539 billion in 2007 to US$575 billion in 2008. By compari-
son, 8,300 U.S. banks saw loans outstanding decrease US$31 billion last year,
to US$7.876 trillion from US$7.907 trillion in 2007. 31 Here is another way of
putting the same point: credit union loan volume increase 6.7% in 2008 while
lending from US Federal Deposit Insured Corporation (FDIC), or banks dropped
by 40 basis percentage points.32 Davide Phillips, president and Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Credit Union Central of Canada affirmed to a parliamentary
committee that credit unions had not restricted their lending to businesses
despite the economic turmoil.33 Garth Manness, CEO of Credit Unions Central
of Manitoba, explains “Most financial institutions were short of lending capital
and had trouble financing lending. Our credit unions had the liquidity to be able to
meet lending demand”. 34 Small businesses are a driving force in the economy and
in employment creation.
It is crucially important that lending to this sector continues. In Canada, many
credit unions have increased the number of loans to small businesses; in Brit-
ish Columbia by 10 %. 35
Credit unions in the United States have reported a substantial increase in the num-
ber of mortgages and car loans. First mortgage lending rose 40 percent in first half
of 2008 while the overall market was down
31
Marte, J. (2009, March 15). Safe Havens: Credit Unions Earn Some Interest. Wall Street
Journal. Retrieved from: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123708535764231521.html
32
Kashner, E. (2009, March 16). “Credit Unions vs Banks: A Competition of Value.”
Creditunions.com March, 16. Retrieved from: http://www.creditunions.com/arti-
cle.aspx?articleid=3000
33
Canadian Cooperative Association (2009) Credit Unions Maintain Business Lending Parlia-
mentary Committee Told Cooperative News Briefs: 10 (8)..
34
Kirbyson, 2009 op cit
35
Anderson, 2009 op cit
18
Resilience of the cooperative business model in times of crises
17 percent.36 Follow-
ing reports that the
large auto leasing
companies in the US
such as GMAC Finan-
cial Services and
Chrysler Financial Ser-
vices have restricted
© moodboard - Fotolia.com
36
Carey, N. (2008, November 17). As US banks retreat, credit unions step up loans. Reuters.
Retrieved from: http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE4AF22120081116
37
Witkowski, R. (2009, April 17). Credit unions making loans where banks fear to tread.
Jacksonville Business Journal. Retrieved from: http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jack-
sonville/stories/2009/04/20/story3.html
38
Meyer, 2008 op cit
39
Desjardins Group. Desjardins Group Announces Surplus Earnings Before Member Dividends
of $78 Million for 2008 retrieved from http://www.desjardins.com/en/a_propos/
salle_presse/la_une/communiques/resultats-financiers-2008.pdf
19
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
40
Raiffeisen Switzerland. Annual Report 2008 retrieved 14 May 2009 from
http://www.raiffeisen.ch/raiffeisen/INTERNET/home.nsf/0/E6B7C897EAA5468DC12575
8B005C59B4/$FILE/low_verband_2008_en.pdf
41
Hyden, G. (1988). “Approaches to Cooperative Development: Blueprint versus Green-
house” in Attwood D.W. & Baviskar B.S., (eds.), Who Shares? Cooperatives andRural De-
velopment, Oxford University Press, Delhi.
42
World Council of Credit Unions (2008, Oct 1) U.S. Credit Unions Poised to Prosper During
Economic Downturn, CUNA’s Rick Tells WOCCU Webinar Audience, WOCCU News Release.
20
Resilience of the cooperative business model in times of crises
43
Blackwell, L. (2009, April 21). Banks Passing on Credit Card Debt to Consumers. WTVY.com.
Retrieved from: http://www.wtvynews4.com/news/headlines/43387632.html
44
O’Connell, B. (2009). Do Credit Unions Offer a Better Deal? bankingmyway.com. Retrieved
online April 20, 2009 at: http://www.bankingmyway.com/article/04/17/do-credit-
unions-offer-better-deal
45
McDougall, 2008 op cit
46
Kashner, 2009 op cit
47
Braga, M., V. Fully Bressan, E. Colosimo, and Bressan. (2006). Investigating the Solvency of
Brazilian Credit Unions Using a Proportional Hazard Model. Annals of Public and Coopera-
tive Economics. 77 (1): 83-106.
21
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
48
Why Credit Unions are a Good Bet in Bad Times. (2009, March 28). Business Day – Sydney
Morning Herald. Retrieved from: http://business.smh.com.au/business/
why-credit-unions-are-a-good-bet-in-bad-times-20090327-9e5c.html
49
Marte, 2009 op cit
50
Freeman, M. (2009, April 17). Economic heat encroaching, credit unions seek U.S. help.
The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved from: http://www3.signonsandiego.com/sto-
ries/2009/apr/17/1n17credit0068-credit-unions-starting-feel-economi/?busi -
ness&zIndex=83787
51
Fitch Affirms Uruguay’s FUCAC’s IDRs at ‘B’; Outlook Stable. (2009, April 27). Business Wire. Re-
trieved from: http://www.pr-inside.com/fitch-affirms-uruguay-s-fucac-s-idrs-r1211176.htm
22
Resilience of the cooperative business model in times of crises
52
WOCCU 2009: 1
53
DeVries (2009), op cit p4
54
Johnstone, op cit 2009
55
Kane, M. (2009, March 26). Credit Union Collapse Signals Depth of Financial Crisis. The
Washington Independent. Retrieved from: http://washingtonindependent.com/35928/
credit-union-collapse-signals-depth-of-financial-crisis
23
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
56
deVries (2009)
24
Resilience of the cooperative business model in times of crises
going to be a key
player in the restoring
of confidence in the
banking system.
57
See Crear, P (2009) Cooperative Banks, Credit Unions and the Financial Crisis, Paper for
the UN Expert Group Meeting on Cooperatives, April, New York
58
McKenzie, T. Cooperative Regulators Dash CLICO Reports. The Bahamas Journal Retrieved
from http://www.jonesbahamas.com/news/45/ARTICLE/19394/2009-03-12.html
59
Negros Chronicle. GARY TEVES: Cooperatives Less hit by Global crisis. Retrieved from
http://www.negroschronicle.com/?p=4540
25
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
© ILO/Benaissa
also able to help cre-
ate a middle class in
societies, thus contrib-
uting to political and
economic stability. 61
Particularly noteworthy is the remittance system, whereby savings and credit
cooperatives provide low cost money transfers from people working in devel-
oped countries and sending part of their wages home. Since this began in
2001, over US$2 billion has been transferred.62 For many people in develop-
60
Schifferes, S. (2008, February 12). Crisis ‘to trap 53m in poverty’. BBC News. Retrieved
from: http://www.stwr.org/poverty-inequality/global-financial-crisis-pushing-
millions-into-extreme-poverty.html#bbc
61
Crear (2009) op cit
62
See also Birchall J (2004) Cooperatives and the Millennium Development Goals, Geneva:
ILO for a case study of remittances
26
Resilience of the cooperative business model in times of crises
ing countries in Latin America remittances from family members abroad are
an essential part of the household income. Estimates put the total value of
all remittances from the US to Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean
at around US $15 billion. Lower services fees on remittance transactions can
therefore have a significant impact on low income families. Credit unions
and cooperatives charge the lowest fees compared to banks and remittance
service companies.63
A lesson that can be taken from the subprime mortgage debacle is that too
much emphasis was placed on access to credit and marketing strategies to
get people comfortable about having personal debt. In looking at poverty
reduction strategies, Jones states that one of the fundamental shifts in the
philosophy of savings and credit cooperatives and their role in poverty re-
duction was an emphasis on savings rather than loans.64 Previously, savings
and credit cooperatives assumed that offering low-cost loans to the poor was
the key to getting them out of poverty as it was believed that lack of access
to credit and a reliance on subprime lenders kept the poor impoverished. In-
creasingly savings and credit cooperatives are coming to understand that
savings and the accumulation of assets should be the priority as this is what
ultimately will pull people out of poverty.
Marginalized groups—people in the inner-cities, ethnic populations and rural
citizens have already witnessed a pulling out of banking institutions in their
communities and the current crisis will only exacerbate the problem. The
credit freeze will disproportionately hurt those who are considered a credit
risk leading to even greater financial exclusion and marginalization. Jones
also argues that there is a direct correlation between financial exclusion and
poverty. Financial exclusion is both a result of poverty and a cause of greater
poverty. Thus, finding ways to create, and foster financial inclusion is an es-
sential part in alleviating poverty. Simply having a bank account can lead to
greater financial security.
63
Orozco, M. (2002). Attracting remittances: Market, money and reduced costs. Multilateral
Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank. Washington D.C. Retrieved
from: http://www.rree.gob.sv/sitio/img.nsf/vista/documentos/$file/
market%20money%20and%20costs.pdf
64
Jones, P. (2008). From tackling poverty to achieving financial inclusion—The changing role
of British credit unions in low income communities. The Journal of Socio-Economics 37:
2141-2154.
27
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
Here are three examples that show the potential of savings and credit cooper-
atives among poor people.
Sistema de Cooperativa de
Crédito (SICREDI) in Brazil is a
network of 130 financial coop-
eratives with approximately
one million members, half of
which are in the rural areas.
SICREDI has been a picture of
growth and profitability in re-
cent years. It nearly doubled
its membership between 2001
and 2005. Deposits and loans
also increased during this pe-
riod and the consolidated
profits for 2005 were just over
US$64 million. The conclusion
is that financial cooperatives
can deliver quality products
and services to the rural com-
munities while still being profitable.65
Ecuador went through an economic crisis during the 1980’s and 1990’s which
forced many banks to file for bankruptcy.66 By 1999, nearly half of the
38 banks in the country had failed. Similar to the current global crisis, access
to credit was limited, and trust in the banking system dropped significantly.
However, the credit unions in the country remained relatively stable, which
the credit unions attributed to the financial controls and supervision they had
established before the crisis occurred. The credit union system and village
banks are providing financial services in small rural communities that have lit-
tle or no access to other financial institutions.
65
Nair, A. and R. Kloeppinger-Todd. (2007). Reaching Rural Areas with Financial Services:
Lesson from Financial Cooperatives in Brazil, Burkina Faso, Kenya and Sri Lanka. Agricul-
ture and Rural Development Discussion Paper 35. The World Bank.
66
Klaehn, J. (2006). Credit Unions Reach Out to Poor Women. CUFocus. Autumn. pp. 28-29.
Irish League of Credit Unions. Retrieved from: http://www.creditunion.ie/
files/20061109031401_CUFocus_Autumn.pdf
28
Resilience of the cooperative business model in times of crises
VanCity, the largest credit union in Canada, was established in the 1940’s be-
cause the major banks refused to lend to the poorer areas in the city of Van-
couver. Still today with assets in the billions of dollars, the credit union
remains committed to ensuring that the marginalized groups of people have
access to financial services. VanCity’s established an Accessibility Programme
to meet these commitments which includes making sure that services are ac-
cessible as possible, introducing microfinance schemes and working with
other community groups to connect with hard-to-reach people such as new
immigrants.67
67
Canadian Cooperative Association. (2003). Building Assets in Low Income Communities:
Policy research on the cooperative model. A Building Community Assets Research Report.
68
deVries (2009) op cit
69
Marquardt, S and Sinico, S (2009) More German firms turn to cooperatives in tough eco-
nomic times, found at www.dw-world.de
70
Worker cooperatives face the economic crisis, found at www.cicopa.coop
29
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
71
A study conducted by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Government of Québec,
2008 Contributors: Lise Bond, Michel Clément, Michel Cournoyer, Gaétan Dupont
72
Osawa, M. (2008). “Development-Brazil: Solidarity Economy Combats Exclusion.” IPS
News. January 11. Retrieved online April 28, 2008 at: http://ipsnews.net/
news.asp?idnews=40760
30
Resilience of the cooperative business model in times of crises
73
Todd, A. (2007). Housecleaning coop members see income, benefits rise sharply. Rural Co-
operatives. March/April. Retrieved from: http://findarticles.com/p/arti-
cles/mi_m0KFU/is_2_74/ai_n19022190/
74
www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/02/26/theyre_going_to_work_on_their_own_terms/)
75
Arctic Cooperatives Limited/Arctic Cooperatives Development Fund 2008 Annual Report,
page 7.
31
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
76
Birchall (2003) op cit pp48-51
77
Slup.se website explains
32
Resilience of the cooperative business model in times of crises
78
Birchall (2003) op cit
79
Hyden, G. (1988) op cit
33
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
© ILO/M. Crozet
cial banks. They need to be able to access
and issue alternative forms of capital in
markets where they can prove they can
manage such capital.81
With regard to legislation for savings and credit cooperatives, what is needed
is a legislative framework that recognises the unique nature of savings and
credit cooperatives and provides specific legislation for them.82 In some
countries, they are regulated by general cooperative laws but these are not
appropriate. In Sri Lanka, for instance, the SANASA movement is held back by
being regulated by cooperative commissioners at local level who do not know
much about the financial sector.83 In other countries they are regulated by mi-
cro-finance laws that are designed more for NGOs and private banks.
80
Jones, 2008 op cit
81
Crear (2009) op cit
82
Crear (2009) op cit
83
See Birchall, J and Simmons, R (2008) Cooperatives and Poverty Reduction: final report to
the ESRC, available at www.esrc.ac.uk
34
Resilience of the cooperative business model in times of crises
Finally, there are also public international regulations that sometime uninten-
tionally also limit the development and growth of all types of cooperatives in-
cluding international accounting standards and international financial
regulations such as the Basel Accords.
How should governments treat savings and credit cooperatives and coopera-
tive banks during the crisis? First, any future financial rescue packages imple-
mented at global or national levels should be unbiased against cooperative
financial institutions relative to the commercial banking sector. Second, co-
operative financial institutions should be recognized in any pronouncements
emanating from governments and international agencies as secure, lo-
cally-owned financial institutions that have presented safe and sound finan-
cial alternatives during the current crisis. Lastly, future regulations or
legislation that may result from this crisis should clearly recognize that coop-
erative financial institutions have not been the source of these problems,
have been significantly less affected by the economic fallout and should not
be punished by inclusion in a series of new rules designed to correct a problem
they have not caused. 84
© ILO/J. Maillard
84
WOCCU Asks G-20 Finance Ministers to Recognize Credit Unions Safety, Stability – letter
from the CEO, Pete Crear (www.woccu.org/press/releases?id=1543)
35
ILO - Sustainable Enterprise Programme
36
Resilience of the cooperative business model in times of crises
Finally, the ILO and its Cooperatives programme will likely become more im-
portant within the UN system as a focal point for cooperative expertise as the
international community, and in particular ILO constituents, seek assistance
in promoting cooperatives in all sectors and around the world. The World
Bank, in its World Development Report 2008 which focused on agriculture, has
already noted the effectiveness of the cooperative model of enterprise as one
form of producer organization and thus the importance of the promotion of
cooperative development in the context of rural development. It notes too
that “financial cooperatives and their networks are re-emerging as promising
institutions in rural finance in many countries” which supports evidence from
the International Monetary Fund on the success of financial cooperatives.
Further confirmation of the trend to seek solutions to global recovery through
cooperatives is also already visible in the initiative of the United Nations to
declare a UN International Year of Cooperatives in which the ILO’s Coopera-
tives programme would hold the secretariat of the Year. The decision will be
taken at the UN General Assembly at its 64th session this year, while on 4 July
2009, the international community will celebrate UN International Day of
Cooperatives which focuses on the theme, “Driving global recovery through
cooperatives”. © ILO/M. Crozet
37
Sustainable Enterprise Programme
Design and printing - International Training Centre of the ILO, Turin - Italy
Photos cover: © Ellen Beijers, Kropka! - Fotolia.com
What began as a crisis in finance markets has rapidly become a
global jobs crisis. Unemployment is rising. The number of
working poor is increasing. Businesses are going under.
Concern is growing over the balance, fairness and
sustainability of the sort of globalization we have had in the
run up to the financial crash. The International Labour
Organization, representing actors of the real economy, that is
governments, working together with representatives of
employers and workers organizations, is playing its role within
the UN and multilateral system to support its constituents as
they seek to weather the crisis, prepare for recovery and
shape a new fair globalization. The Decent Work Agenda
provides the policy framework to confront the crisis.
In this series of brief publications, the ILO's Sustainable
Enterprise Programme reflects on impacts of the global
economic crisis on enterprises and cooperatives, provides
examples of policy and enterprise-level responses, and
indicates how constituents can be supported by the ILO.