United we stand? Three cases on the implementation of intercooperation among Mondragon cooperatives and other stakeholders

Abstract

In recent decades, worker cooperatives have garnered significant entrepreneurial, institutional, and academic interest as potential tools for economic stabilisation. A substantial body of literature attributes several seemingly irrefutable advantages to the cooperative principle of cooperation among cooperatives. Notably, in the case of Mondragon, intercooperation mechanisms have historically been associated with enhanced competitiveness during prosperous periods and risk mitigation during recessions. However, the limitations of intercooperation are insufficiently addressed in the specialised literature. By exploring three different approaches to intercooperation, this doctoral thesis seeks to delve into the intricacies of this cooperative principle, to contrast its largely unchallenged link to the success historically attributed to Basque worker cooperatives. This is of great interest, not only for the widely interconnected cooperatives in our territory, but also for the entire Basque entrepreneurial network, in which Mondragon is one of the main employers.