Cooperatives in Focus: Select Articles on Cooperatives from the International Labour Review

News | 08 September 2020
As ILO COOP commemorates its centenary this year, the International Labour Review (ILR) will be celebrating its own centenary next year. A peer-reviewed multidisciplinary journal of international scope in labour and employment studies, ILR is published quarterly in English, French and Spanish and administered by the ILO’s Research Department. Across the years, a number of articles on cooperatives were featured in the issues of the ILR.

There were a large number of articles on cooperatives in the earlier years of ILR. These were mainly reflecting on the state of the cooperative movements in specific countries and sectors. Quite a few of these articles were written by ILO COOP staff members. Although not included in the list below, many articles on trade unions in the earlier issues of the ILR brought up cooperatives, especially housing, consumer and financial cooperatives, as being key to improving the welfare of workers.

Below are 30 articles on cooperatives that were published in the International Labour Review between the 1920s and the 1980s. Some of them reflect on conceptual issues around principles, definitions and classification of cooperative institutions, their legal and economic status, and relation to welfare of workers. Four of these articles were written by earlier ILO COOP Chiefs, Georges Fauquet and Jean Orizet, who were visionary thinkers on cooperatives and the wider social economy issues.

A selection of articles on cooperatives from the International Labour Review (1921-1965)

Gide, Charles, “The Congress of the International Co-operative Alliance”, International Labour Review, 4:4, 1921, p3-14

Webb, Beatrice, “The Co-operative Movement of Great Britain and Its Recent Developments” International Labour Review, 4:4, 1921, p15-44

Ruini, Meuccio, “The Italian Co-operative Movement”, International Labour Review, 2:5, 1922, p13-33.  

Wolff, W. Henry, The Co-operative Movement and Labour in India, “International Labour Review”, 2:5, 1922, p229-250

Kaufmann, Heinrich, “Types of Co-operative Societies and Their Economic Relations”, “International Labour Review”, 4:2, 1922, p163-183

Parker, E. Florence, “The Consumers' Co-operative Movement in the United States”, “International Labour Review”, 2:6, 1922, p917:923.  

Totomiantz, Th. V., “Co-operation in Russia before the War”, “International Labour Review”, 2:7, 1923, p15-24

Hyvönen, Valde, “Co-operation in Finland”, “International Labour Review”, 2:8, 1923, p503-520.  

Borodaewsky, W. S., “Co-operation in Russia during the War”, “International Labour Review”, 2:10, 1924, p263-276

Prokopovitch, M., “Co-operation in Soviet Russia”, “International Labour Review”, 2:10, 1924, p411-434.

Egger, A., “The Co-operative Movement and Co-Operative Law” “International Labour Review”, 2:12, 1925, p609-633

Bergengren, F. Roy, “Credit Co-operation as Adapted to the Needs of the Worker”, “International Labour Review”, 2:15, 1927, p709-740

Colombain, Maurice, “Rural Hygiene and Health Co-operative Societies in Yugoslavia”, “International Labour Review”, 2:32, 1935, p19-38

Strickland, C. F., “The Co-operative Society as an Instrument of Economic and Social Construction” “International Labour Review”, 2:37, 1938, p729-753


Fauquet, George, “The Diversity of Co-operative Institutions and Their Classification”, “International Labour Review”, 2:39, 1939, p435-458


McFadyen, James, “The Co-operative Movement and Post-War Reconstruction”, “International Labour Review”, 2:47, 1943, p417-425


Hare, C., E., Anthony, “Co-operative Contracting in New Zealand”, “International Labour Review”, 2:51, 1945, p480-493

Fauquet, George, “The Economic and Legal Status of Co-operative Institutions”, “International Labour Review”, 2:58, 1948. P480-493


Orizet, Jean, “The Co-operative Movement and the Welfare of the Worker” “International Labour Review”, 2:64, 1951, p1-23


Vuckovic, Mihailo, “Recent Trends in the Yugoslav Co-operative Movement”, “International Labour Review”, 2:76, 1957, p1-23.  

Sherlock, Philip M., “The Co-operative Movement in the British Caribbean”, “International Labour Review”, 2:78, 1958, p325-341


Bonow, Mauritz, “The Co-operative Movement and the Protection of the Consumer”, “International Labour Review”, 2:82, 1960, p327-340

Lujan, Samuel Ruiz, “A Co-operative Approach to Housing Problems in Latin America: The Example of Chile”, “International Labour Review”, 2:91, 1965, p406-419


Bandini, Mario, “Co-operatives and Agrarian Reform”, “International Labour Review”, 2:92, 1965, p115-127

Ryan, J. C., “Co-operatives in Asia: Recent Developments and Trends”, “International Labour Review”, 2:92, 1965, p462-475

Tyl, Rudolf, “Disabled Persons' Co-operative in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic”, “International Labour Review”, 2:93, 1966, p143-148

Orizet, Jean, “The Co-operative Movement since the First World War”, “International Labour Review”, 2:100, 1969, p23-50

Louis, R., “Co-operative Development Centres”, “International Labour Review”, 2:107, 1973, p539-551

Trampczynski, Boleslaw, “Co-operatives of the Disabled in Poland”, “International Labour Review”, 2:108, 1973, p423-437

Taimni, K. K. [Krishan], “Employment Generation through Handicraft Co-operatives: The Indian Experience” 1:120, 1981, p505-517