The Italian co-operative enterprises have prospered in the last thirty years in various sectors. In this essay we analyze the role played by managerilization in allowing Italian co-ops to compete nationally and internationally with capitalist enterprises. On the basis of a substantial set of...

1. Introduction -- 2. The birth of cooperative enterprise : where, when, how -- 3. What is a cooperative? -- 4. The development of cooperation in the world -- 5. The cooperative movement in Italy -- 6. The economic performance of cooperative enterprises -- 7. Cooperative governance -- 8. Conclusion