Profile of the Cooperative Economy of Emilia-Romagna
* Article: The Emilian Model - Profile of a Co-operative Economy. By John Restakis
Description
"Over the last two decades, the world has witnessed a near global conversion of regional economies to the ideology of corporate capital. Some of this development has been forced(through the practices of institutions like the IMF), and some has been freely adopted by governments and business communities as the only credible route to prosperity within a globalmarketplace. The embrace of this economic worldview is almost always accompanied by a kind of determinism that was best captured by Margaret Thatcher when she declared “There is No Alternative”. The language of globalization is nothing if not a liturgy of economic necessity.But simultaneous to this embracing of free market capitalism, there has grown a sustained critique of its assumptions and outcomes. The emergence of the anti-globalization movement worldwide is one aspect of this growing resistance. Another is the examination of alternative models of growth rooted in community, as proposed by advocates of community economic development (CED).Throughout this struggle, it has been difficult to formulate a credible alternative that is both sociallyprogressive and economically viable in the context of a global capitalist system.The experience of Emilia Romagna in northern Italy is a compelling story, because it demonstrates that there is an alternative that not only adheres to the values of a vibrant civil society, but has also transmitted these values to the creation of a highly successful commercial economy. The result has been a unique success for this region and its people. Even more important, the Emilian Modelserves as a touchstone for rethinking economic theory and practice from the vantage point of community and economic democracy." (https://www.academia.edu/5454173/The_Emilian_Model_-_Profile_of_a_Cooperative_Economy?email_work_card=view-paper)