Abstract:
This article presents both an empirical analysis of co-operatives in New South
Wales and a critical appraisal of their status as third sector organisations.
Changes in their financial and human resources over the 1990s are outlined,
highlighting varying performance among different types of co-operative.
These empirical data are applied to debates on whether co-operatives, and
especially 'trading' co-operatives, fall within scope of the third sector: The
authors argue that they do and that adopting a broad definition of the third
sector enables a finer analysis of its diverse organisational forms, and of
the sector's importance for local economies and communities.
