The Cooperative Society: The next stage of human history
By E.G. Nadeau and Luc Nadeau
()
About this ebook
In this book, we present the hypothesis that humans may be on the threshold of a new historical stage, one characterized by cooperation, democracy, the equitable distribution of resources and a sustainable relationship with nature. Our history for more than 200,000 years has included cooperation with one another, with other species and with our
E.G. Nadeau
E.G. Nadeau has an undergraduate degree in sociology from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has been researching, developing, teaching, and writing about cooperatives and communities for over 40 years. From February 2014 to September 2015, Nadeau served as the research director for the US Overseas Cooperative Development Council, and organized the International Cooperative Research Group, a division of OCDC. In 2012, Nadeau wrote The Cooperative Solution: How the United States can tame recessions, reduce inequality, and protect the environment. He also co-authored Cooperation Works! with David Thompson in 1996. Over a period of 30 years, from 1985 to the present, Nadeau has been doing domestic and international co-op consulting work for Cooperative Development Services, the National Cooperative Business Association/CLUSA, Land O' Lakes International Development Division, the U.S. Overseas Cooperative Development Council, and other organizations. He served on the faculty of the Master in Management - Cooperatives and Credit Unions Program at St. Mary's University in Halifax, N.S. from 2004 to 2013. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
Related to The Cooperative Society
Related ebooks
Political Solidarity Economy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Social Commons: Rethinking Social Justice in Post-Neoliberal Societies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShift Change: Scenes from a Post-industrial Revolution Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSustainability Sutra: An Ecological Investigation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsState of the World 2014: Governing for Sustainability Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUrban Austerity: Impacts of the Global Financial Crisis on Cities in Europe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings1. Uncovering the Treasures of Africa: A Guide to Documenting Indigenous Knowledge Management: 1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Art + Climate = Change II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGlobal Faith, Worldly Power: Evangelical Internationalism and U.S. Empire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImage Brokers: Visualizing World News in the Age of Digital Circulation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCo-designing Infrastructures: Community collaboration for liveable cities Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Road to Resegregation: Northern California and the Failure of Politics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses are Beating the Global Competition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAll or None: Cooperation and Sustainability in Italy's Red Belt Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Good That Business Does Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUrban Resilience in a Global Context: Actors, Narratives, and Temporalities Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCo-opportunity: Join Up for a Sustainable, Resilient, Prosperous World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pivotal Generation: Why We Have a Moral Responsibility to Slow Climate Change Right Now Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Power Lines: Building a Labor–Climate Justice Movement Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Geopolitics of Green Colonialism: Global Justice and Ecosocial Transitions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCompanies on a Mission: Entrepreneurial Strategies for Growing Sustainably, Responsibly, and Profitably Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDas Netz - English Edition: Digitalization and Society Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTo Live Peaceably Together: The American Friends Service Committee's Campaign for Open Housing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDIY City: The Collective Power of Small Actions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMarket Encounters: Consumer Cultures in Twentieth-Century Ghana Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRebooting Local Economies: How to Build Prosperous Communities Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClimate Change and U.S. Cities: Urban Systems, Sectors, and Prospects for Action Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCentered: People and Ideas Diversifying Design Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEducational Transformation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImpactful Development and Community Empowerment: Balancing the Dual Goals of a Global CLT Movement Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Social Science For You
My Secret Garden: Women's Sexual Fantasies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Body Is Not an Apology, Second Edition: The Power of Radical Self-Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Witty Banter: Be Clever, Quick, & Magnetic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All About Love: New Visions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (Oprah's Book Club Selection) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fervent: A Woman's Battle Plan to Serious, Specific, and Strategic Prayer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Great Reset: And the War for the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denial of Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Come As You Are: Revised and Updated: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5100 Amazing Facts About the Negro with Complete Proof Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A People's History of the United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Don't Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Human Condition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Mercy: a story of justice and redemption Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lonely Dad Conversations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Men Explain Things to Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Cooperative Society
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Cooperative Society - E.G. Nadeau
Copyright © 2016 by E.G. Nadeau and Luc Nadeau
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form whatsoever, by any means, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the authors.
Published by E.G. Nadeau and Luc Nadeau
egnadeau3@gmail.com
www.thecooperativesociety.org
158 Kensington Drive
Madison, WI 53704
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Nadeau, E.G., and Nadeau, Luc
The Cooperative Society:
The next stage of human history /
E.G. Nadeau and Luc Nadeau
1. Economic history and conditions
2. Social history and conditions
3. Social problems
4. Social reform
ISBN 978-0-9980662-0-2
Printed in the United States of America
First edition
The cover design by Luc Nadeau is a symbolic depiction of the history of Homo sapiens.
Design by Smiling Dog Design
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1
Hypothesis
The cooperative society
Stages of human history
Chapter 2
Measurement
Measuring transition to the cooperative society
1. Growth or decline of cooperative businesses
2. Increasing or decreasing economic power of large, for-profit businesses
3. Increasing or decreasing inequality in household income and wealth
4. Greater or fewer deaths from domestic and international conflicts
5. More or fewer people living in democratic countries
6. Improving or deteriorating quality of life
7. Improving or deteriorating environmental conditions
Cooperative Society Scorecard
Chapter 3
Recommendations and Observations
Becoming a more cooperative society
1. Grow cooperative businesses
2. Decrease the economic and political power of large, for-profit businesses
3. Reduce inequality in household income and wealth
4. Decrease the number of deaths from domestic and international conflicts
5. Increase the number of people living in democracies
6. Improve the quality of life
7. Improve environmental conditions
Concluding comments on recommendations and observations
Conclusion
Appendix on Cooperative Business Opportunities
Following is a series of questions that should be explored in order to identify co-op opportunities over the next couple of decades.
Selected Readings
Acknowledgements
The Authors
Endnotes
Introduction
Humans have always cooperated in order to survive – survive despite competition and conflict in our relationships with one another, with other species and with our physical environment. Just look at the bloody trail of wars, violence and oppression that have characterized our relationships with one another throughout recorded history.
However, we may be on the verge of moving beyond our conflict-filled past toward a society in which cooperation is the predominant way we relate to one another and to our planet. Why? It could be that humans no longer feel compelled to fight over scarce resources, because we now have the means, organizational skills and technology to meet everyone’s basic needs.
In this book, we present the hypothesis that humans may be on the threshold of a new historical stage, one characterized by cooperation, democracy, the equitable distribution of resources and a sustainable relationship with nature.
The Cooperative Society is organized in three parts: a description