The Italian and Australian Cooperative sectors--the past, present and future.

The Italian and Australian Cooperative Sectors--The Past, Present and Future, 15, 16 and 17 February 2010, Sydney University Village. The University of Sydney's Business and Labour History Group has been instrumental in securing Italian academics from the University of Trento and the European Research Institute for Cooperatives and Social Enterprises to engage in a three-year research project linking Australia and Italy. This will compare the cooperative movements in both countries--and will research key factors leading to a successful cooperative sector and also the factors that inhibit a cooperative sector. The research programme will start with a three-day symposium which will feature the latest theoretical and empirical work on cooperatives from Professor Carlo Borzaga and Dr Ermanno Tortia from the University of Trento. The key theme of the Symposium is to compare the research in Italy and Australia in four cooperative sectors--the retail sector, credit union sector, worker and indigenous cooperative areas--and define areas for the future research of the project. Professor Greg Patmore, Dr Leanne Cutcher, Dr Nikola Balnave and Anthony Jensen will present papers. The Symposium will be part of full week of activities in Sydney. Following the Symposium, the Co-operative Federation of NSW will hold a two-day Cooperative Opportunities Conference at the same venue and will devote some time to developing these themes from a practical perspective. The aim of the week is to start a discussion and research project on how the cooperative sector can achieve its potential in Australia in a world defined by a new set of economic, social and environmental parameters. A conference registration form and a programme outline will be posted at: <http://blhg.econ.usyd.edu.au/>. For further details please contact Greg Patmore on <[e-mail]>.