The co-operative model in Trentino - Italy A case study Report THE CO-OPERATIVE MODEL IN TRENTINO (ITALY) A CASE STUDY REPORT OECD Working Papers should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD or of its member countries. The opinions expressed and arguments employed are those of the authors. Working Papers describe preliminary results or research in progress by the author(s) and are published to stimulate discussion on a broad range of issues on which the OECD works. Comments on Working Papers are welcomed, and may be sent to CFE Directorate, OECD, 2 rue André-Pascal, 75775 Paris Cedex 16, France This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. 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The Organisation’s core mission today is to help governments work together towards a stronger, cleaner, fairer global economy. Through its network of 250 specialised committees and working groups, the OECD provides a setting where governments compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice, and co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Commission takes part in the work of the OECD. For more information on the OECD, please visit www.oecd.org/about. ABOUT THE OECD LEED PROGRAMME The OECD Programme on Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) has advised governments and communities since 1982 on how to respond to economic change and tackle complex problems in a fast-changing world. Its mission is to contribute to the creation of more and better quality jobs through more effective policy implementation, innovative practices, stronger capacities and integrated strategies at the local level. LEED draws on a comparative analysis of experience from the five continents in fostering economic growth, employment and inclusion. For more information on the LEED Programme, please visit www.oecd.org/cfe/leed. ABOUT THE OECD LEED TRENTO CENTRE FOR LOCAL DEVELOPMENT The OECD LEED Trento Centre for Local Development was established by the OECD, the Italian Government and the Autonomous Province of Trento (Italy) in 2003. The Centre is an integral part of the OECD (LEED Programme). The mission of the Trento Centre is to build capacities for local development in OECD member and non-member countries. Trento Centre objectives are: (i) to improve the quality of public policies implemented at the local level through continuous monitoring and assessment of current practices and by using the results of comparative research and studies in the making of policy recommendations and action plans; (ii) to develop capacity in the design, implementation and evaluation of local economic and employment development strategies to help grow local economies in OECD member and non-OECD member countries; (iii) to promote innovation in local economic and employment development across the globe; and (iv) to strengthen the relationship between policy makers, local development practitioners and the scientific community and to facilitate the transfer of expertise and exchange of experience between OECD member and non-member countries. For more information on the Trento Centre and its activities and events, please visit www.trento.oecd.org. THE CO-OPERATIVE MODEL IN TRENTINO (ITALY): A CASE STUDY © OECD 2014 4 | AKNOWLEDGMENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report has been written by the Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Programme of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) undertaken in cooperation with the Federation of co-operatives of the Autonomous Province of Trento. The report was supervised and edited by Ms. Alessandra Proto of the OECD Secretariat. The principal authors are: Professor Sergio Alessandrini (University of Modena e Reggio, Italy), Mr. Samuel Barco (Sevilla, Spain) and Professor Patrizia Battilani (University of Bologna, Italy). The OECD is grateful to Mr. Diego Schelfi, Presidente, and Mr. Caro Dellasega, Director General of the Federation of co-operatives of the Autonomous Province of Trento for the support and interest demonstrated in this work. The work would not have been possible without the engagement and valuable contributions of Mr. Egidio Formilan, Head of Intercooperation and Study Office of the Federation of co-operatives of the Autonomous Province of Trento. Special thanks should be given to all the interview partners, whose commitment has been fundamental. They participated in meetings and provided documentation and comments critical to the production of the report. The authors would like to thank Elisa Campestrin, as well as other colleagues in the LEED Programme, for their essential assistance with this report. THE CO-OPERATIVE MODEL IN TRENTINO (ITALY): A CASE STUDY © OECD 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS | 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 7 Main issues to be addressed ............................................................................................................... 7 Method of work ................................................................................................................................. 7 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 9 Origins and key factors in the European co-operative movement ..................................................... 9 The co-operative movement in Trentino, Italy: historical, economic and social contributions to the region ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Some concluding remarks ................................................................................................................ 23 CONTEMPORARY CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT ...................................................................... 24 The role of the legal and fiscal framework for the development of co-operatives .......................... 24 The peculiarity of the Autonomous Province of Trento: a determinant factor for the development of the co-op system in Trentino? ................................................................................ 25 Overview of the major sectors co-operatives operate in within the province: agricultural, credit, consumer, social, etc ............................................................................................................. 32 Outline of sectoral size (turnover, staff, membership, etc) .............................................................. 42 THE GOVERNANCE OF THE TRENTINO CO-OPERATIVE SYSTEM: THE ROLE OF THE TRENTINO FEDERATION OF CO-OPERATIVES ................................................................ 59 A complex governance system: the importance of networks for the co-operative movement ........ 59 The role of the Trentino Federation of Co-operatives (FTC) .......................................................... 60 The contemporary role of the Federation for/to the co-operative movement .................................. 64 RESILIENCE ...................................................................................................................................... 68 The economic resilience of the co-operative movement ................................................................. 68 CONFRONTING THE TRENTINO CO-OPERATIVE SYSTEM WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATIVE SYSTEMS ............................................................................ 74 COSTA RICA .................................................................................................................................. 76 URUGUAY ..................................................................................................................................... 81 QUEBEC ......................................................................................................................................... 86 ANDALUSIA .................................................................................................................................