Cooperation, Community, and Co-Ops in a Global Era (International and Cultural Psychology)

Globalization pressures have made cooperation on a global scale both necessary and possible. But cooperation is not easy in a world dominated by individual, cultural, and national selfish interests. The opposition to cooperation means that cooperation is not natural, but must be instituted through an intellectual and social struggle against countervailing forces. This book discusses issues that are necessary to describe the nature of cooperation and how it can be promoted as a social and ethical ideal amidst a sea of competing interests. Dr. Ratner uses the framework of cooperativism, that is the system of social institutions, social philosophy, cultural psychology and politics that promotes cooperation, as a starting point. Elements of cooperativism are derived from a rigorous analysis of various sources, including the needs of tendencies of human culture and human psychology.

Cooperation, Community, and Co-ops in a Global Era
Carl Ratner

Human history is largely the story of communities, punctuated by examples of cooperatives--in fact, our level of cooperative behavior is one of the attributes that makes us most human. In recent years, however, concepts such as rugged individualism and social Darwinism have competed against cooperative ideas for supremacy, and today's climate of global economic crisis has found these me-first concepts wanting.

Now, an important new book posits that current political solutions to acute world problems are inadequate, and that modern society needs to look to its communal roots for recovery--and perhaps survival. Cooperation, Community, and Co-ops in a Global Era argues for a societal paradigm shift and details how such a transformation might be accomplished.^ Taking the evolutionary long view, its author demonstrates how cooperative principles can make a social system not just more efficient and less wasteful of time and resources, but also more democratic, empowering, and fulfilling for everyone involved.^ In making this compelling case, he:

• Explains cooperation as a form of life that can resolve current crises and enhance human development.
• Shows how most of human history has been cooperative.
• Explains modern obstacles to cooperation that must be overcome.
• Explicates a cooperative social philosophy: its psychology, social relations, property relations, governance.
• Articulates a psychological theory of cooperation that includes comparative research with animals, evolutionary processes, biological issues,^ and cultural issues.
• Explains how cooperative enterprises have practiced cooperation.
• Provides examples of co-op strengths and weaknesses from on-site research into European and American co-ops.
• Articulates a revisionist history of the cooperative movement that includes relations with socialist theory and the labor movement.
• Explains implications of cooperation for democracy and interpersonal relations such as love.

Social scientists, co-op members, policy makers, social philosophers, mediators, community builders, social reformers, and all those concerned with a viable solution to contemporary crises will find Cooperation, Community, and Co-ops In A Global Era stimulating and informative.

Introduction To The Praxis of Cooperative Behavior -- General Aspects of Cooperation That Potentiate But Do Not Determine Concrete Cooperation -- The Dialectical Relation between Cooperation and Capitalism: Cooperation Before, During, and After The Advent of Capitalism -- Historical Roots Of Contemporary Cooperatives -- Cooperatives’ March To Modernity: Market-oriented, Apolitical Cooperation -- Cooperation in Practice: Successes and Shortcomings of The International Cooperative Movement Today -- Explaining Co-op Weaknesses In Terms of The Dominant Cooperative Paradigm -- An Enriched, Viable, Necessary Cooperative Paradigm for Our Era. by Carl Ratner. Cooperation, Community, and Co-ops in a Global EraCarl RatnerHuman history is largely the story of communities, punctuated by examples of cooperatives--in fact, our level of cooperative behavior is one of the attributes that makes us most human. In recent years, however, concepts such as rugged individualism and social Darwinism have competed against cooperative ideas for supremacy, and today's climate of global economic crisis has found these "me-first" concepts wanting. Now, an important new book posits that current political solutions to acute world problems are inadequate, and that modern society needs to look to its communal roots for recovery--and perhaps survival. Cooperation, Community, and Co-ops in a Global Era argues for a societal paradigm shift and details how such a transformation might be accomplished. Taking the evolutionary long view, its author demonstrates how cooperative principles can make a social system not just more efficient and less wasteful of time and resources, but also more democratic, empowering, and fulfilling for everyone involved. In making this compelling case, he: Explains cooperation as a form of life that can resolve current crises and enhance human development. Shows how most of human history has been cooperative. Explains modern obstacles to cooperation that must be overcome. Explicates a cooperative social philosophy: its psychology, social relations, property relations, governance. Articulates a psychological theory of cooperation that includes comparative research with animals, evolutionary processes, biological issues, and cultural issues. Explains how cooperative enterprises have practiced cooperation. Provides examples of co-op strengths and weaknesses from on-site research into European and American co-ops. Articulates a revisionist history of the cooperative movement that includes relations with socialist theory and the labor movement. Explains implications of cooperation for democracy and interpersonal relations such as love. Social scientists, co-op members, policy makers, social philosophers, mediators, community builders, social reformers, and all those concerned with a viable solution to contemporary crises will find Cooperation, Community, and Co-ops In A Global Era stimulating and informative Cooperation, Community, and Co-ops in a Global Era Carl Ratner Human history is largely the story of communities, punctuated by examples of cooperatives--in fact, our level of cooperative behavior is one of the attributes that makes us most human. In recent years, however, concepts such as rugged individualism and social Darwinism have competed against cooperative ideas for supremacy, and today's climate of global economic crisis has found these "me-first" concepts wanting. Now, an important new book posits that current political solutions to acute world problems are inadequate, and that modern society needs to look to its communal roots for recovery--and perhaps survival. Cooperation, Community, and Co-ops in a Global Era argues for a societal paradigm shift and details how such a transformation might be accomplished. Taking the evolutionary long view, its author demonstrates how cooperative principles can make a social system not just more efficient and less wasteful of time and resources, but also more democratic, empowering, and fulfilling for everyone involved. In making this compelling case, he: Explains how humans are hard-wired for cooperation, and identifies its psychological competencies. Contrasts aspects of cooperative enterprises before and after the Industrial Revolution. Provides illustrative examples from European cooperative institutions. Analyzes modern social paradoxes such as cooperative individuality. Examines the strengths and shortcomings of the modern international cooperative movement. Explicates a cooperative social philosophy: its structures, behaviors, and values. Social and cultural psychologists as well as sociologists will find Cooperation, Community, and Co-ops in a Global Era worth reading, discussing, and debating. Moving beyond critique, Alternative Solutions to Higher Education's Challenges uses an appreciative approach to highlight what is working in colleges and universities and offers an examination of how institutions can improve practice. Drawing on examples and cases from real higher education institutions, this book offers a solution-focused framework that challenges the negative assumptions that have plagued higher education. Chapters explore how current narratives have perpetuated and maintained systematic flaws in our education system and have hindered reform. This invaluable resource breaks from the substantial literature that only highlights the many problems facing higher education today, and instead provides alternative strategies and essential recommendations for moving higher education institutions forward Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Introduction to the Praxis of Cooperative Behavior....Pages 1-10 General Aspects of Cooperation that Potentiate but do not Determine Concrete Cooperation....Pages 11-37 The Dialectical Relation Between Cooperation and Capitalism: Cooperation Before, During, and After the Advent of Capitalism....Pages 39-57 Historical Roots of Contemporary Cooperatives....Pages 59-107 Cooperatives’ March to Modernity: Market-Oriented, Apolitical Cooperation....Pages 109-131 Cooperation in Practice: Successes and Shortcomings of the International Cooperative Movement Today....Pages 133-160 Explaining Coop Weaknesses in Terms of the Dominant Cooperative Paradigm....Pages 161-180 An Enriched, Viable, Necessary Cooperative Paradigm for Our Global Era....Pages 181-223 Back Matter....Pages 225-227