Open accesscreativecommonsPeer reviewed/Research article
Published online: June 2023

How to study the co-operative contribution to sustainable development 

Gamze Yakar-PritchardORCID, Rory Ridley-DuffORCID, Kıymet ÇalıyurtORCID, and Yasin AkkuşORCID

Vol 56 No 2, pp. 7-22  

https://doi.org/10.61869/WKPO5512

How to cite this article: Yakar-Pritchard, G., Ridley-Duff, R., Çalıyurt, K. & Akkuş, Y. (2023). How to study the co-operative contribution to sustainable development. Journal of Co- operative Studies, 56(2), 7-22. https://doi.org/10.61869/WKPO5512

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop research instruments that enable analysis of the contribution of co-operatives to sustainable development. We achieve this by posing three research questions that explore the links between co-operative principles (CPs) and sustainable development goals (SDGs). Data obtained using qualitative methods guided the development of a quantitative survey tool designed to systematically measure the contribution of co-operatives to sustainable development (RQ1). This study also provides empirical evidence of a strong alignment between CPs and SDGs (RQ2). Whereas earlier studies began with forms of wealth and/or SDGs and connected them to CPs, this study contributes to the knowledge by articulating how co-operatives, as a movement, contribute to all SDGs by operationalising CPs 1-3 and 5-7 agreed by the International Cooperative Alliance. Finally, this study found a high level of support within the co-operative movement for the SDG framework (RQ3).


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