We investigate what is behind the profit/not for profit wage differential by comparing judgments on job characteristics of workers who voluntarily or involuntarily moved from the first to the second sector. Our findings support the differential profit/nonprofit compensation hypothesis and shed light on mechanisms that go beyond the work-donating behavior of intrinsically motivated workers. Read More
Italian worker cooperatives tend to accumulate a high share of profits in indivisible reserves, a fund that is unavailable and cannot be appropriated by members. The research investigates the reasons for this practice, after discussing the most frequently used interpretations. The hypothesis that is formulated is that indivisible reserves play an important role in protecting the stability of employment in cooperatives. Read More
The paper examines the main limitations of the orthodox and institutional theories and comes to assert the need for creating and testing a new theoretical framework, which considers the way in which diverse enterprises pursue their goals, the diverse motivations driving actors and organizations, and the different learning patterns and routines within organizations. Read More
This paper presents the principal characteristics of the new Italian co-operative law and seeks to evaluate the relationship of some of its main provisions to traditional co-operative principles. Using the Italian reforms as a starting point for debate, this paper puts forth the possibility of generalising a modified approach to co-operative regulation and principles, taking into account efficiency issues, while preserving the co-operative identity. Read More
Recent years have seen a broad reshaping of the banking landscape. This article argues that this new reality can be thought of as an opportunity for financial cooperatives to increase their importance in the market and in the areas they historically serve. Read More
The role of cooperatives and social enterprises in contemporary market economies has until now been minimized and marginalized by dominant economic approaches. This contribution intends to pursue the improvement of the scientific understanding of cooperative and social enterprises through the in-depth study of the related theoretical models. Read More