ROCHDALE PRINCIPLES

The 'Rochdale Principles' are a set of ideals for the operation of cooperatives. They were first set out by the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers in Rochdale, England, in 1844, and have formed the basis for the principles on which co-operatives around the world operate to this day. The implications of the Rochdale Principles are a focus of study in co-operative economics. The original Rochdale Principles were officially adopted by the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) in 1937 as the 'Rochdale Principles of Co-operation'. Updated versions of the principles have been adopted by the ICA in 1966 as the 'Co-operative Principles' and in 1995 as part of the 'Statement on the Co-operative Identity'.
==Original version (1844)==
# Open membership.
# Democratic control (one person, one vote).
# Distribution of surplus in proportion to trade.
# Payment of limited interest on capital.
# Political and religious neutrality.
# Cash trading (no credit extended).
# Promotion of education.
==ICA revision (1966)==
# Open, voluntary membership.
# Democratic governance.
# Limited return on equity.
# Surplus belongs to members.
# Education of members and public in cooperative principles.
# Cooperation between cooperatives.
==ICA revision (1995)==
# Voluntary and open membership.
# Democratic member control.
# Member economic participation.
# Autonomy and independence.
# Education, training, and information.
# Cooperation among cooperatives.
# Concern for community.

Contents

See also

External links

See also

★ Rochdale College (a Canadian experiment in Rochdale principles)

External links

★ The International Co-operative Alliance

★ Statement on the Co-operative Identity

★ Revisions to the Co-operative Principles

★ Cooperative Principles Then and Now

★ Principles of the International Co-operative Alliance

★ A variant of the 1966 principles from Circle Pines Center