A Review of Social and Employee-Owned Co-operative Business Models and their Potential to Reduce Poverty

In this report, Geoff Whittam (formerly of the UWS Business School, and now based at Glasgow Caledonian University) and Steve Talbot (UWS Business School) provide a review of literature on social and employee-owned co-operative business models as a prelude to reporting on a study based on interviews with key figures in a range of such enterprises. The study looked to explore how these businesses interact with and benefit their local communities. The authors provide brief case studies of a housing association, a credit union and a worker co-operative, and conclude with a number of recommendations which will be of interest to policy makers, practitioners, academics, and in wider discussions involving those who share, with UWS and Oxfam, an interest in creating ‘a more equitable and sustainable Scotland’.