Decades of research finds that strong governance is essential for cooperatives to thrive. It is correlated with performance, essential for addressing members’ needs, and fundamental to the cooperative DNA. Yet cooperatives have lacked the robust data needed to benchmark, reflect on, and improve their governance practices.
In response to this unmet need, the UW Center for Cooperatives launched the Cooperative Governance Research Initiative (CGRI) in 2021 with generous seed funding from the Cooperative Development Foundation. Its purpose is to generate robust, longitudinal data that empowers cooperatives across sectors to reflect upon and improve their governance structures, processes, and culture.
Publications
Findings From the Cooperative Governance Research Initiative 2021
The first CGRI survey yielded enthusiastic responses from 500 cooperatives, capturing substantial diversity in terms of industry, type, size, age, and location, and creating a baseline for the range and frequency of cooperative governance practices. Targeted follow-up interviews generated additional insights.
Findings From the Cooperative Governance Research Initiative 2021. UW Center for Cooperatives, 2022.
Sector Reports
2021 Cooperative Governance Research Initiative Worker Co-op Findings. UW Center for Cooperatives, 2024.
2021 Cooperative Governance Research Initiative Ag Sector Findings. UW Center for Cooperatives and University of Missouri Graduate Institute of Cooperative Leadership, 2023.
2021 Cooperative Governance Research Initiative Food Co-op Findings. UW Center for Cooperatives, 2023.
Research Briefs
CGRI Research Brief: The Role of Right Mix and Board Development Practices in Governance Outcomes. UW Center for Cooperatives and University of Missouri Graduate Institute of Cooperative Leadership, 2024.
CGRI Research Brief: Gender Diversity of U.S. Cooperative Boards. UW Center for Cooperatives, 2022.
Contact us!
If you are interested in being part of CGRI as a research participant, funder, or thought partner, please contact the study team at cgri@uwcc.wisc.edu.