vol. 20 núm. 101 (2012)

Integration, in its various forms, is not only a global cooperative principle, but it has become, over time, in the most sustainable business model in an ever changing world. The various historical manifestations of this particular condition of the cooperativism is the subject taking place in this article. Based on a review of different successful experiences (European and American), certain characteristics that make successful the cooperative movement are identified, regardless of their geographical or sectoral configurations. This product is part of the research line in solidary economy (2012) of the research group Ecosol of the Fundación Universitaria Luis Amigó, Campus Medellín.

Problem: The Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia functions as an institution of higher education since 1970 and currently provides services in 18 campuses to 50,000 students with 4,800 teachers. The economic, social, political and cultural transformations of the last two decades have built a new stage called world system driven by globalization and powered by the second modernity or late modernity. Universities are in the process of adapting to this scenario. The thesis presented in this paper says that the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia is located in the space between locality and globality without further integrating them into a single entity. Methodology: The paper is a reflection that discusses the global vs. local typology and rather put the discussion on a continuum from locality to globality. This reflection is based on information from the university relating it with other Colombian and Latin American universities and international organizations. Conclusion: the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia must recognize its role both locally and in globality and, above all, integrate it into a single space in all its dimensions, with international indicators, as an institution of higher education.

Over the years it has been demonstrated that despite the cycles of boom, crises or stagnation, the social economy sector subsists in the best situations and grows in the worst. The reason is clear: belonging to a place, a land and a society. This is consistent with the banking as social economy is an economic boost in rural areas and is responsible for the modernization and technical improvement in the local. From a reflective process regarding research findings in Spanish credit unions, with the support of Fundación Caja Rural de Toledo, the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha and more recently with the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, it is concluded that in every impact assessment process of the actions of the social economy is essential to consider what elements are responsible for the valorization of their own resources and elementary for the creation of stable job in rural areas. The logic of the social economy is an important factor in maintaining subsistence economic structures, but also generates competitive dynamics based on the value added to its activity, its responsibility to society and rural development.

The tourism cooperatives appeared in the early sixties to meet a new mass phenomenon that exerted excessive pressure on travel agents to be supported individually. Their constant evolution, in parallel with that of the tourist destinations and also with the needs of the tourists, is transforming these cooperatives and directing them forcibly towards more advanced strategic phases. These are the new phases, along with the new concepts of management of destinations, which require the greater emphasis on innovation capacity generated by cooperatives over tourist destinations without these developed structures. This paper explains the basic reasons that cooperatives can access these advanced strategic phases, increasing its capacity for innovation. This result is the product of research findings on “Managing destinations” of the research group “Organizational Networks, Innovation and Tourism (onit)” of the Faculty of Tourism at the Universidad de Girona, 2011.

Cooperative organizations and solidarity enterprises contribute to generate an economy that generates life, justice and participation. Besides generating goods and services to meet the basic needs of its members, projects tend to be, at the same time excellent schools for learning administrative, economic, democratic and social complexities. They promote a service economy rather than a profit economy and therefore its results are irradiated and they are distributed equally among the partners, opposing capitalist processes of concentration / exclusion from power, property, income and knowledge. We intend to present this study from a hermeneutic, doctrinal and epistemological perspective addressing the four major functions of the cooperative society and present economy: democracy, citizenship, social cohesion and the economy of life.

This paper relates the legal regime from both a legislative and a doctrinal point of view, in the Latin American context, applicable to the figure of the manager of the entities of social and solidary economy (eess for its initials in Spanish) as its key player, largely responsible for both the successes and failures that these entities achieve.

This paper synthesizes some results of research carried out between 2002 and 2004 at Cooperativa de Servicios Agrícolas La Trinidad of Pueblo Llano, Estado Merida, Venezuela, by the undersigned in support of his doctoral thesis research at the Universidad de Granada. The aim of the research was to assess of compliance with the cooperative principles, using the methodology of the Social Cooperative Balance. The method chosen, “Balance of Cooperative Identity”, was developed by Dr. Aitziber Mugarra of the Universidad de Deusto, Spain, in 1998. The evaluation was made on the implementation of the seven cooperative principles. To do this each of the principles was operationalized taking it as a variable, then dividing it into sub-variables or dimensions and each of the latter were separated in social indicators, expressed in physical, monetary or qualitative way.

Through the sectorial comparison and the use of the methodology of the Fifth Systemic Helix developed in the research “Identification of the Factors Determining International Competitiveness in the Maquiladora Industry of the Electronic Sector of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico”, performed as doctoral thesis at the Universidad de Baja California in 2009 and 2011, this paper proposes a series of systemic variables for the cooperative sector and the social economy for the exploration of a research that approaches to the determinants of the state of development and its competitiveness, generating indicators for this sectors: cooperatives, cooperative education, government (public policy for the cooperativism), cooperatives associations and cooperatives consultants, representing a framework of systematic evaluation of the regional cooperative development.

The cooperativist education is the learning process that goes beyond mere speeches and proposals and values, similarly, the social and business side and the specific demands of the training of organizations and partners. Regarding agricultural cooperatives, the training demands correspond to actions directed to rural producers. This study is done in order to analyze the contribution of cooperative education tools to the rural extension and describe the relationship of cooperative education and performance of the Empresa de Asistencia y Extensión Rural of the Department of Minas Gerais. Methodologically, it was used for exploratory research and for the technique of the questionnaire sent to 452 agricultural cooperatives throughout 2011 and 2012. Among the results is evidenced that the development of cooperative education works done by organizations has been shown as extension jobs providing benefits to cooperatives looking to daily make viable the guidance and training received.

urante el 2012, año internacional de las cooperativas, se realizaron ingentes esfuerzos en todo el mundo con el fin de demostrar que es posible otra forma de hacer las cosas. Los gobiernos realizaron actividades en pro de fortalecer el movimiento cooperativo y este generó compromisos para lograr mayor incidencia. Quizá por primera vez tantos recursos fueron movilizados en todo el planeta a favor de las cooperativas, y la respuesta de la academia no se hizo esperar. Miles de eventos, encuentros y espacios de interacción surgieron alrededor de nuestras universidades, y la Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia no fue ajena a esto. Durante el 2012 celebramos la edición No. 100 de nuestra Revista y continuamos buscando generar intercambios con la creciente comunidad científica en la materia. Durante el 2013 esperamos corresponder los compromisos adquiridos y coadyuvar a las organizaciones del sector a que hagan lo propio. Está en el tintero de los compro - misos la articulación sectorial para propiciar lo que se ha dado en llamar la Década del Cooperativismo . El comienzo de esta década requerirá continuar con el encuentro entre academia, sector y organizaciones de promoción y control, si se quiere avanzar en la construcción compartida de una nueva década de incidencia. Desde Cooperativismo y Desarrollo buscaremos reconocer la pluralidad de las expresiones de la cooperación y llegar a cada vez más directivos en nuestra región latinoamericana. Este espíritu alimenta la presente edición, en la que contamos con 10 contribuciones que bordean estrategias de innovación educativa, jurídica, de reporte, emprendimientos organizacionales, metodologías para la formulación de políticas públicas e integración. En algunos de los apartados de estas contribuciones se pueden encontrar algunas llaves que sirven para abrir las puertas del fortalecimiento organizacional en el marco de la Década del Cooperativismo propuesta por la Alianza Cooperativa Internacional, y que extendemos por su identidad a las demás organizaciones solidarias. Nos resulta alentador saber que desde la literatura que se expone se sigue entendiendo que la innovación implica una multiplicidad de acciones de gestión que implican la inclusión en los emprendimientos de consideraciones sociales, jurídicas, económicas, administrativas y doctrinales, en un contexto en el que cada vez queda más al descubierto     Revista C ooperativismo & DESARROLLO 10 Revista C ooperativismo & desarrollo ¤ Volumen 20 Número 101 ¤ julio – diciembre 2012 que la unicidad y objetividad casi dogmática del capitalismo no es tal, y que las experien - cias de la economía social y solidaria muestran un amplio espectro de alternativas viables. Con esta edición cerramos un ciclo de esfuerzos editoriales y a partir de la siguiente edición esperamos generar continuas mejoras en la difusión, presentación y consoli - dación de nuestra Revista. Lo anterior sin olvidar nuestro espíritu latinoamericano, plurilingüe y de énfasis por documentar acciones no siempre ortodoxas que orientan la consolidación de una comunidad académica que innova con sus planteamientos y no olvida la tradición que nos han heredado notables pensadores de la cooperación. Esperamos sus comentarios críticos y abrimos nuestras puertas a la discusión con miras a que en un futuro no muy lejano podamos hacer de Cooperativismo y Desarrollo el más incidente órgano de discusión entre colaboradores, autores y lectores