International co-operatives in post-pandemic era (15k)

As an important alternative enterprise originated from the UK, co-ops have become an important vehicle to improve efficiency and innovation of the development of economies and social welfare (Martins & Dong, 2022), especially in developing regions. They offer an essential alternative to legacy rural production and services including healthcare, towards enhancing engagement with stakeholders and to help coordinate resources facing disruptive global challenges. We aim to conduct a novel and robust cross-country examination of co-operative organisations and their management, to collect empirical data and to develop a framework for them, with a particular focus on those in Brazil and China. In comparison with UK exemplar case studies, the objectives of this international research collaboration project are:
To examine the development of alternative co-operative organisations in the Global South
To explore the role of co-operatives in sustainability and social security in developing regions, particularly in Brazil and China
To generate a state-of-the-art international multiple case comparison with post pandemic updates
To provide evidence-based managerial guidance and policy recommendations
To enhance international research collaboration on the subject and promote successful experience from UK exemplars
To facilitate future research agenda and follow-up international funding applications