Welcome!


Thank you for visiting the Measuring the Co-operative Difference Research Network website!

 

Led by the Canadian Co-operative Association in partnership with four Canadian universities (St. Mary's University, Mount Saint Vincent University, the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Victoria), the Network is funded for a five-year term by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) as a Community-University Research Alliance. The Network is committed to conducting research on the social, economic and environmental impact of co-operatives on Canadians and their communities.

MCDRN Partner in new Canadian Co-operative Research Network

 

Over 100 researchers, students and practitioners contributed to the development of the new Canadian Co-operative Research Network, which was coordinated by the Canadian Co-operative Association and the Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité and funded by the Rural and Co-operatives Secretariat. Join in! Contribute your news, events, profile or publication today!



The site features a co-op research library with over 1300 citations. Add your publication today!

News and Events

 

-REGISTER AND BOOK NOW! Network Members should register and book their travel to Montreal for the Network Meeting on June 24 and the "Cooperating for Change in the International year of Co-operatives" from June 24-27. More details

-Quintin Fox becomes Principal Investigator of the CURA

- Special lecture with MILFORD BATEMAN now available online! 
MICROFINANCE & THE ILLUSION OF DEVELOPMENT: FROM HUBRIS TO NEMESIS
Lecture delivered at St. Mary's University in January 2012. View lecture video.

-NEW SURVEY on Co-op Education & Training by Chris Clamp at Southern New Hampshire University and National Cooperative Business Association. Participate today!

Webinars

 

Benchmarking Co-operative Performance: The CoopMetrics Framework
With Rosemary Mahoney and Walden Swanson
May 22, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern
Register today: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/407821985

 

Other past webinar materials:
-People-Power-Profits: The Emergence of Renewable Energy Co-operativesCo-operative Accounting and -Key Performance Indicators
-Building a Canada-wide co-operative research network: Our tools, our resources, our plans
Materials and links available here

View the Latest Newsletter

 

View the latest edition (Winter/Spring 2012) of the Measuring the Co-operative Difference Research Network newsletter and find out all about the Network's activities.

 

Register now! Co-operating for Change Major Research Conference in 2012

 

Registration open! The Network will feature a number of completed projects and also initial findings from projects still in progress from June 24-27, 2012 at the University of Quebec in Montreal. with the Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation, the ICA Research Committee, The Association for Co-operative Education, the Quebec Co-op CURA and others will be organizing a major integrated co-op research conference series (a Co-op Learneds!) held right before the CCA and CCCM AGMs and joint Congress. Early bird deadline for registration is May 15

More information (registration, accommodations)

Call for proposals

New Stats on Top 50 Non-Financial Co-ops

 

Top 50 non-financial co-ops grow in assets, members and revenue in 2010


•"Top 50" revenues grew 3.4% over the last year, to $24.8 billion in 2010.
•"Top 50" assets grew 6.6% over the last year, to $11 billion in 2010.
•The "Top 50" were co-owned by 4.9 million members in 2010, up 6.7% from 2009.
•Together, the "Top 50" employ 38,700 people, 81% of which are full-time.
•"Top 50" co-operatives returned $640 million to their members in "patronage refunds" in 2010.