CNS-P5b Cooperatives and Sustainable Development (5 cr)
Description
The course starts by exploring the sustainable development goals and the process that has led to their declaration. The course continues with an examination of the relationship between sustainable development and different types of cooperatives. Particular attention is paid to three types of cooperatives: large cooperatives and credit unions in the developed countries, producer and credit cooperatives in the developing world, and new cooperatives created with the SDGs in mind.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, students will be familiar with the objectives, principles, and history of sustainable development. The student will also understand the controversial nature of corporate social responsibility and the relation of cooperative enterprises to it. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to analyze the implementation of the SDGs, their impact, and their links to the business of different kinds of cooperatives.
Additional information
Online course. The course can be taken in both Finnish and English.
Study materials
Kirjallisuuden lisäksi muu vastuuopettajien ilmoittama kirjallisuus tai materiaalit.
Literature
- Bauwens, T., Huybrechts, B., & Dufays, F. (2020). Understanding the diverse scaling strategies of social enterprises as hybrid organizations: The case of renewable energy cooperatives. Organization & Environment, 33(2), 195-219.
- Bauwens, T., Vaskelainen, T., & Frenken, K. (2022). Conceptualising institutional complexity in the upscaling of community enterprises: Lessons from renewable energy and carsharing. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 42, 138-151.
- Bunders, D. J., Arets, M., Frenken, K., & De Moor, T. (2022). The feasibility of platform cooperatives in the gig economy. Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management, 10(1), 100167.
- Datta, P. B., & Gailey, R. (2012). Empowering women through social entrepreneurship: Case study of a women's cooperative in India. Entrepreneurship theory and Practice, 36(3), 569-587.
- Frenken, K., Vaskelainen, T., Fünfschilling, L., & Piscicelli, L. (2020). An institutional logics perspective on the gig economy. In Theorizing the sharing economy: Variety and trajectories of new forms of organizing. Emerald Publishing Limited.
- International Labor Organization 2016. Cooperatives and the Sustainable Development Goals. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/1247ilo.pdf.
- United Nations (2015). Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld
- United Nations General Assembly. (2019). Cooperatives in social development - Report of the Secretary-General. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3824213?ln=en
- Wright, C., & Nyberg, D. (2017). An inconvenient truth: How organizations translate climate change into business as usual. Academy of Management Journal, 60 (5), 1633- 1661.