Abstract
During the last few decades consumer cooperative organizations in European capitalist countries (except in Italy) have experienced considerable difficulties. This has also been the case in Finland and Sweden, the part of the world with the strongest traditions in cooperation. In this development, the cooperative organizations are facing an increasing danger of losing the cooperative identity and, among other things, losing the capacity of being an agent for economic democracy. This background paper is based on studies of the performance of the two major consumer cooperative movements in Finland and Sweden 1960-80. It focuses on the real and financial formation of capital and its relations to cooperative member participation. Very similar trends have been observed in both movements: the reaction to the changes in markets and trading methods, investment policies in distribution, increasing outside financing, decline in economic performance and a loosening bond between members and their societies. This study is a part of a planned project about Nordic consumer cooperation.
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