Cooperative Governance in Context

Embedding circularity: Theorizing the social economy, its potential, and its challenges

“…As in the previous section, values of democracy, equality, and equity and the framing of an economic organization under the control of citizens and communities legitimize institutional implications that are distinct from those of capitalist enterprise. Rather than deploying a boss culture and a hierarchical framing of governance, social economy organizations focus on the structures and processes of democratic governance (Novković et al, 2022). In terms of organizational design, this results in governance bodies elected by members and the use of direct, deliberative, and representative democracy mechanisms (Novković et al, 2022).…”

“…Rather than deploying a boss culture and a hierarchical framing of governance, social economy organizations focus on the structures and processes of democratic governance (Novković et al, 2022). In terms of organizational design, this results in governance bodies elected by members and the use of direct, deliberative, and representative democracy mechanisms (Novković et al, 2022). The institutional environment can support or hinder such mechanisms, as Tosun and Schoenefeld (2017) demonstrate with the example of citizen energy cooperatives.…”