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FrameworkIntro

Cooperative Identity, Values & Principles

The International Cooperative Alliance’s official statement of cooperative identity, values, and seven principles, including democratic member control and member economic participation.

Source: International Cooperative AllianceAdded June 12, 2026Published 1995
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Why it matters

Worker co-op governance starts with the cooperative identity: member control, shared economic participation, autonomy, education, and accountability to community.

Best for

Giving new members and founders a shared vocabulary for what makes a cooperative different from a conventional company.

This is the baseline reference for cooperative governance. It is not worker-co-op-specific, but it defines the principles that most worker cooperative governance systems are built around. For a worker co-op library, this resource is useful as the anchor for explaining why democratic control, member education, and member economic participation are not optional add-ons. They are part of the model.

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Heirloom Library entries are summaries and wayfinding notes. The original source is the best place to read the full resource.

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