Journal of Cooperative Development and Innovation

Gender Dynamics in Cooperative Governance: Insights from Women Led Social Enterprises

Maulina Nabila, Dayuni Dayuni — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Gender inequality in the governance of social economic organizations, including cooperatives, is still a serious problem that has not been studied in depth. This research aims to understand gender dynamics in the governance of women-led social cooperatives, as well as identify the contributions and challenges faced by women in decision-making positions. This study uses a qualitative approach with a multiple case study design of eight women-based social cooperatives in three provinces in Indonesia. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observations, and document analysis, which were then analyzed using the NVivo 14 software-assisted thematic analysis method. The results show that cooperatives that adopt participatory governance and transformational leadership models have higher levels of sustainability and broader social impact. Solidarity among female members plays an important role in overcoming cultural barriers, although traditional norms about gender remain a latent challenge. This research has implications for the importance of developing gender inclusion-based policies in cooperatives and strengthening women's leadership capacity. In addition, these findings enrich the literature on the relationship between social innovation, participatory governance, and women's empowerment in the community economic sector.

Cooperative Competitiveness for Community Development in West Java: Strategies and Outcomes

Khofifah Indah Baitul Jannah — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Cooperatives, as a pillar of the people's economy in Indonesia, face significant
challenges in increasing their competitiveness amid the era of globalization
and digitalization. In West Java, the presence of cooperatives plays a vital role
in community development; however, many cooperatives are still stagnating
due to limited innovation and lack of collaboration. This study aims to identify
strategies to strengthen the competitiveness of cooperatives and evaluate their
impact on local community empowerment. The method employed is a
qualitative case study approach involving 10 active cooperatives in West Java
that have implemented community-based innovation and digitalization. Data
was collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and document
analysis, and then analyzed thematically using NVivo 14 software. The
study's results show that the most effective strategies for increasing the
competitiveness of cooperatives include digitizing services, product
diversification, building community partnerships, and training human
resources. Cooperatives that apply a collaborative innovation approach and
build strategic networks have proven to experience improved membership and
better economic growth. The implications of this study confirm the
importance of strengthening collaborative ecosystems and adopting
community-based innovations as the key to the success of modern
cooperatives. This research also provides practical recommendations for the
development of digitalization-based cooperative assistance programs and
multistakeholder collaboration to accelerate sustainable community
development in West Java.

Youth Engagement in Cooperatives: Perceptions, Barriers, and Opportunities for Innovation

Dina Nurul Fathiya — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Youth involvement in cooperatives is an important issue but is still underexplored in the context of inclusive economic and social development. This research aims to explore the perception of youth towards cooperatives, identify obstacles that hinder their participation, and find innovation opportunities to revitalize the cooperative movement. Using an exploratory qualitative approach, this study involved interviews, observations, and document analysis of 50 youth from 10 cooperatives in three provinces in Indonesia. Thematic analysis with the help of NVivo 14 showed that the majority of youth view cooperatives as an outdated entity, offering fewer career opportunities, and lack of innovation. However, a small minority see cooperatives as a potential platform for social entrepreneurship and community innovation. The main obstacles identified include rigid organizational structures, lack of career development programs, and weak communication regarding the modern relevance of cooperatives. This study recommends that cooperatives carry out structural and strategic reforms through the integration of digital innovations, strengthening entrepreneurship programs, and implementing a youth-centered participation model. This transformation is important not only to attract the interest of the younger generation, but also to maintain the sustainability and relevance of cooperatives in an era of rapid socio-economic change.

Grassroots Innovation Actors: Their Role and Positioning in Economic Ecosystems

Agus Rohmat Hidayat — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Innovation is no longer only dominated by large corporations or formal institutions. Grassroots innovation actors now play an important role in shaping the dynamics of local and global economic ecosystems. This research aims to examine how community innovation actors interact, build networks, and position themselves in the economic ecosystem. The research approach used was qualitative with a multi-case study on 10 local innovation communities in Indonesia, involving in-depth interview techniques, participatory observation, and document analysis. Data analysis was carried out using Social Network Analysis (SNA) assisted by NVivo 14 software. The results show that grassroots innovation actors who successfully build cross-sectoral collaboration networks with governments, businesses, and educational institutions have higher levels of sustainability than communities that operate in closed networks. They are not only beneficiaries, but also catalysts for local change. The implications of these findings are the need to design a national innovation policy that is more inclusive of community innovation, strengthening digital collaborative platforms, and developing the managerial capacity of the innovation community. This research contributes to the development of a more participatory and sustainable innovation ecosystem model.

Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing in Cooperative Networks

Fitri Ayu Triana Putri — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the era of knowledge-based economies, the ability of cooperatives to manage organizational learning and cross-entity knowledge sharing is a key factor in sustainability and innovation. This research aims to explore the dynamics of organizational learning and knowledge sharing in cooperative networks, as well as identify the factors that support and hinder the process. Using a qualitative approach with a multi-case study design, data was collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observations, and document analysis from eight cooperative networks in Indonesia. The analysis was carried out using a thematic method assisted by NVivo 14 and a simple social network analysis approach. The results of the study show that face-to-face meeting methods are still dominant in sharing knowledge, but the adoption of digital platforms is starting to increase in line with the need for adaptation in the post-pandemic era. Inter-cooperative mentoring has proven to be effective in accelerating collective learning, although this scheme is still informal. Limitations of explicit documentation and digital literacy gaps were identified as major barriers. The implications of this study are the importance of building hybrid learning strategies, strengthening digital literacy, and developing a collective documentation system in cooperative networks. This research contributes to strengthening the capacity of cooperatives as an innovative learning ecosystem that is adaptive to global changes.