The International Labour Organization (ILO) has released two publications in a bid to improve the measurement of co-ops at global level.
ILO says Measuring Cooperatives (Second Edition) is a “practical tool for improving statistics on co-ops”. This turns the Guidelines concerning Statistics of Co-operatives into practical steps for countries, it adds, setting out the core concepts and definitions (co-operative types, statistical units, work in and around co-operatives) and showing how to collect, tabulate and analyse comparable data.
Tthe new edition encourages testing of questionnaire modules, integration with business and household surveys, and advances work on measuring co-operatives’ economic, social and environmental contributions.
ILO says it is designed for national statistics offices, government institutions responsible for co-ops, ILO social partners, co-operative stakeholders and researchers.
“The guide highlights how stronger statistics can help in better understanding and promoting contribution of co-ops to advancing decent work and sustainable development,” it added.
The second new publication is Implementing the ILO Guidelines Concerning Statistics of Cooperatives: Insights from Five Countries.
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ILO says the guide comes in response to growing demand for reliable, comparable evidence on co-operatives’ contribution to decent work and sustainable development, and shows how to put the ILO Guidelines concerning Statistics of Cooperatives into practice.
The guide includes practical lessons on concepts and definitions. It identifies co-operative types, integrates co-operatives into business registers and surveys, and combines administrative and special-purpose collections.
ILO added: “Intended as a concise, actionable resource for national statistical offices, line ministries and the co-operative movement, this compendium provides underscores the importance of integrating co-operatives into official statistics and shows how better data can illuminate co-operatives’ contributions to economies, decent work, and sustainable development.”
Both documents are the result of pilot studies conducted in Costa Rica, Italy, the Republic of Korea, Türkiye, and Tanzania, with financial support from the government of the Republic of Korea.
