The contribution of cooperatives to the sustainable development of local economic circuit – premises, possibilities, outlook

Due to their democratic organisation and their economic orientation, cooperatives contribute significantly to social integration, job creation and the reduction of poverty. Cooperatives are thus stabilising regional economic cycles and can generate regional employment. The United Nations general assembly declared 2012 as the international year of cooperatives and thus acknowledges their worldwide impact on economic and social development. Traditionally cooperatives have a significant impact on economic and social development also in South Tyrol. Although the population totals only about 507,000 inhabitants, South Tyrol registered at the end of 2010 922 cooperatives with 160,000 members, operating in the field of agriculture, retailing, social affairs and credit business. Bearing this in mind, the Institute for Regional Development and Location Management of the European Academy of Bozen/Bolzano (EURAC), the Institute for Italian law at the University of Innsbruck, the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises Trento (EURICSE) and the Free University of Bozen/Bolzano are organising a scientific conference, which aims to discuss the relationship between cooperatives, sustainability and cooperate management and their effects on local and regional development including the latest insights from science and practical experiences. The invited experts of the conference respond to the question, in what way cooperatives could support local economic cycles sustainably and which factors are driving or hindering that process. An additional scientific track (workshop) will be held on that topic at the European Academy of Bozen/Bolzano on 8 November 2012. Its results will be part of the discussions during the scientific conference. The scientific conference serves as an interdisciplinary platform to stimulate visions and research ideas in the field of cooperatives focusing on the link between local and regional development and regarding sustainable cooperate management going beyond the year 2012.