It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of Pat Conaty (1951-August 2026). Pat was a founder member of union-coops:uk and Alex Bird, co-operative researcher and activist, commemorates Pat's huge contribution to co-operative studies and research, reported in Co-op News (October 20), and his dedication to building a more co-operative, mutual, and human focussed world.
Pat arrived in the UK from California in 1978 and worked tirelessly within and alongside social economy organisations, co-operatives, and mutuals. In 1999, he turned his attention also to research becoming a researcher and later a fellow of the New Economics Foundation, as well as producing numerous reports for organisations including BALTA, Co-operatives UK, and universities of Birmingham and Salford, and a co-founder and member of the Synergia Institute.
Pat leaves a legacy of influential works, some of which are shown below to reflect the breadth and depth of his contribution.
Our sincere condolences to Pat's family and friends.
Selected works
Bollier, D. & Conaty, P. (2014). A new alignment of movements? A report on a Commons Strategies Group Workshop. Commons Strategies Group.
Bollier, D. & Conaty, P. (2015, September 8-10). Democratic money and capital for the Commons: Strategies for transforming neoliberal finance through commons-based alternatives [Report]. Commons Strategies Group Workshop, Berlin, Germany.
Brown, M., Conaty, P., & Mayo, E. (2003). Life saving: Community development credit unions. nef.
Conaty, P. (2014). Social co-operatives: A democratic co-production agenda for care services in the UK. Co-operatives UK.
Conaty, P. (2015). A collaborative economy for the common good. Wales Co-operative Centre.
Conaty, P. (2016, December, 16). Not alone: what the UK can learn from union co-ops. Open Democracy.
Conaty, P. (2022, February 10). Toward co-operative commonwealth: Transition in a perilous century.Lowimpact.org.
Conaty, P., Birchall, J., Bendle, S., & Foggitt, R. (2003). Common ground - for mutual home ownership. Community land trusts and shared-equity co-operatives to secure permanently affordable homes for key workers. nef.
Conaty, P. & Bollier, D. (2014, August 27-28). Toward an open co-operativism: A new social economy based on open platforms, co-operative models, and the Commons [Report]. Commons Strategies Group Workshop, Berlin, Germany.
Conaty, P., Foggitt, R., Tarusenga, R., Bendle, S., & Brown, M. (2008). Self-help and mutual aid: Re-thinking microfinance Market feasibility study and business plan model for a self-employed women’s mutual. nef.
Conaty, P. & Large, M. (Eds.). (2014). Common sense: Co-operative place making and the capturing of land value for 21st century garden cities. Hawthorn Press.
Conaty, P., Bird, A., & Ross, C. (2018). Organising precarious workers: Trade union and co-operative strategies. A report for the TUC from Co-operatives UK and Co-operative College. TUC.
Conaty, P., Bird, A. & Ross, C. (2018). Working together: Trade union and co-operative innovations for precarious workers. Co-operatives UK.
Conaty, P. Bird, A. & Ross, C. (2016). Not alone: trade unions and co-operative solutions for self-employed workers. Co-operatives UK.
Lewis, M. & Conaty, P. (2012). The resilience imperative: Co-operative transitions to a steady state economy. New Society Publishers
Lewis, M. & Conaty, P. (2009, October 1-2). The great transition: Navigating social, economic, ecological change in turbulent times [Paper presentation]. Conference of the Centre International de Recherches et d'Information sur l'Économie Publique, Sociale et Coopérative (CIRIEC), Östersund, Sweden. https://hdl.handle.net/2149/2626.
Peterson, B., Brown, M., & Conaty, P. (2004). Community Banking Partnership: A joined-up solution for financial inclusion. nef.
Fast Money, Slow Capital - Paul Conaty (2013): This talk was given at Schumacher College, where Pat was teaching on the course "Enterprising Futures: Exploring Enterprise Models for the 21st Century"
Building the democratic road as we travel: Multi-stakeholder co-operatives - Pat Conaty, 2013. Earth Talk at Schumacher College, 25 November.
