UKSCS Conference 2024

UK Society for Co-Operative Studies Conference 2024 

1st and 2nd March, 2024 in Lichfield, Staffordshire

Supported by: Central Co-op 

Sustainability of the co-operative ecosystem: The role of secondary co-operatives and federations 

UKSCS is pleased to announce the date and theme of its 2024 Conference. The conference will be held in Lichfield, on March 1st and 2nd 2024, and takes the opportunity to further the insights from both the 2023 UKSCS Conference and the continued re-shaping of cooperative thinking and practice more widely. We plan to look at thinking and practice which fall broadly under the International Co-operative Alliance Principle 6: “Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures”. 

We are looking to develop a similar format to the 2023 Conference whereby the delegates had significant opportunity to engage in discussion with colleagues through visits to local sites, as well as hearing about thinking and practice from keynote and after-dinner presentations, panel discussion, and key papers/ideas. 

The Call for Papers is live and we have asked for contributions from both research and practice. We aim to share and showcase:  

The emergence of new thinking in areas where identifying the need for secondary co-operative networks – and creating and supporting them - can contribute to accelerating 'the proliferation of replicable co-operative solutions in broken systems like social care, energy, housing, data and culture' (Co-operatives UK, 2023. p. 3) 

Learning from areas where their importance has already been demonstrated, for example: the value of support structures in housing co-operatives; the impact of federations in agricultural co-operatives; the prevalence of networks in European co-operative banks; the role of meso-level institutions in worker co-operatives. 

We feel this will be a great opportunity to learn from one another, to come together, share ideas and maybe pick up some new ones.