Cooperation among cooperatives in Italian and Comparative Law

  • Antonio Fici Universidad de Molise
Keywords: cooperatives, inter-cooperation, second grade cooperatives, cooperative groups, comparative law

Abstract

A cooperative cannot be analyzed as an isolated economic unit with no relations with other cooperatives. In fact, cooperatives have always developed economic and socio-political forms of integration among them, which have enormously contributed to the their success as a distinct legal form of enterprise. It does not surprise, therefore, that in its role of guardian of the cooperative identity, the ICA has decided to consider «Cooperation among cooperatives» a specific principle of cooperative identity. The main objective of this article is to ascertain whether, how and to what extent cooperative law has implemented this principle. The comparative law analysis will start from Italian law, which constitutes an excellent example of how cooperative law can be shaped to favour the development of individual cooperatives as well as of the cooperative movement, and which provides an adequate conceptual framework to deal with the subject of inter-cooperation.

Received: 10 July 2014
Accepted: 05 September 2014
Published online: 18 December 2015

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Published
2014-12-31
How to Cite
Fici, Antonio. 2014. “Cooperation Among Cooperatives in Italian and Comparative Law”. International Association of Cooperative Law Journal, no. 48 (December), 103-48. https://doi.org/10.18543/baidc-48-2014pp103-148.
Section
Articles