from OnTheCommons.org:
The Good Life, Italian Style
Emilia-Romagna, a hotbed of cooperatives, boasts one of the highest standards of living in EuropeBy Kevin Karner
The Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, home to such renowned companies as Ferrari and Ducati as well as the world’s oldest university in Bologna, boasts one of the highest living standards in all of the European Union and one of the lowest unemployment rates. It also has the strongest cooperative economy in Europe, with employee co-operatives representing 30% of the GDP and involving 57% of the population.
Employee owned cooperatives are most prevalent in retail, construction, agriculture, housing, manufacturing and social services like care-giving. While the state still serves as regulatory authority and the facilitator of institutional funding, production and distribution of services remains decentralized and market driven. This balance has provided the people of Emilia Romagna with 30% higher per capita income than the rest of Italy, without reliance on corporations that may have otherwise undermined the local economy
This uniquely cooperative based society has come to embody what academics call the Emilian Model, a modern case study of a solidarity economy connected by values of economic democracy, participatory governance, social capital and institutional stability.
The cooperative tradition in the region has been fostered by the predominance of Socialist and Communist party officials in what is called Italy’s “Red Belt”. Cooperatives have also long been encouraged by the Italian government. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://onthecommons.org/good-life-italian-style