Co-operatives: Linking practice and theory

While standing in the Rochdale Pioneers Museum in Toad Lane in Rochdale, I was asked by a civil servant whether there was a book I could recommend, giving an overview of co-operatives. I thought of over a dozen great books about co-operatives that I’ve enjoyed reading and shared this list with them. My first hope was that I had overlooked an available resource that would give them what I thought they wanted. After spending some time looking around, and asking those that I knew, the conclusion I reached several months later was that I may need to write this book.  The aim of the book is not to set out anything new, but to synthesise what is already there. The references will signpost you to those who know more about specific topics.   

About the author

Ian Adderley, a Chartered Secretary and Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute, was called to the Bar in England and Wales in 2010 and has worked for the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority in their role as the registering authority for mutual societies for over a decade. He is on the board of IUS Cooperativum, trustee and Vice Chair of the Co-operative Heritage Trust, and a trustee of the UK Society for Co-operative Studies – which he chaired for five years.  Before this, Ian was an elected member within co-operative societies, including as a member of a local area committee for a retail consumer co-operative. He worked for the regional bodies supporting co-operatives and social enterprises in Yorkshire and the Humber, and was previously employed as a national officer at the UK’s largest public sector trade union.  He writes in a personal capacity, with views expressed not necessarily reflective of any of the organisations mentioned here.