Keith Taylor on the State of the U.S. Cooperative Sector

Platform Cooperativism 2016 video presentation via https://livestream.com/internetsociety/platformcoop2016/videos/141870171

Description

"Report 5 - The State of the U.S. Co-op Sector: Turbulence & Prospects:

(10 mins) Keith Taylor - The U.S. co-op sector is facing unprecedented friction. Corporate conglomeration, 21st century technologies, and the need to respond to climate change are opening fractures that are addressed in the boardrooms of co-ops but not beyond. Members and staff are left disempowered and with deep uncertainty about their roles in their own co-ops. This lack of public discourse is leading to increasing numbers of member uprisings, compounding these conflicts. There are numerous opportunities to address that friction. Associations are increasingly recognizing the need to engage communities on the local level. Concurrently, we are seeing innovations in co-operative governance and community development and co-operative leaders are becoming more aware of the potential of the U.S. co-operative sector to change our economy and democracy. We are at a crucial junction where co-ops have a window of opportunity to live up to their potential to be the agents of change that are so badly needed in a time of turmoil."