Bologna and Emilia Romagna - A Model of Economic Democracy

"If we wanted to find a region that had advanced its economic base and might well be the great economic democracy in the West, we would find it in Emilia Romagna."

"I have provided a great deal of space in this paper for the views of Professor Stefano Zamagni of the University of Bologna because he may very well be the seminal academic on the civil economy and cooperatives."

"It should be noted that Zamagni’s work in the civil sector follows a long grand tradition in the country. As Stefano himself notes the term “civil economy” was coined by one of Italy’s first great economists, Antonio Genovesi in 1753."

“Societies where private interest reigns and prevails, where none of their members is touched by the love of public good, not only cannot reach wealth and power, but also, if they have already reached them, are unable to maintain this position.” --Antonio Genovesi

"The Po River Valley with its rich agricultural lands was amongst the first in Europe to escape from serfdom and feudal times."

Quotes above are from this paper by Bob Williams of Vancouver's VanCity Capital Corporation.

2006 Bologna Summer Program for Co-Operative Studies:

Brochure , Syllabus (draft)

Thanks to Al Avans, a local man who blogs at ECODEMA and whom I met Tuesday evening at a showing of a documentary film ("Independent America") on local independent businesses. Al clued me into Emilia Romagna and also to Spain's Mondragon Co-operative. Thanks also to author Kim Stanley Robinson, whose Mars Trilogy
got me thinking in this direction last summer with its "Praxis."



If you're not convinced of the problems solved by co-op, please see the Canadian documentary film The Corporation.