I feel that the "coop sector" would be better served if the case could be made to less liberal types that WSDE's/coops are beneficial from a non-partisan point of view. Coopes are not inherently "liberal" or "conservative" by nataure. Hence, conservatives should really not have issue with the fundamentals of coops or the movement. Conservatives will one day get on board but with some reasoning they may just see fit to do so sooner than later.

"It is only when those who support and are part of the cooperative sector can clearly articulate and demonstrate (empirically) the benefits of cooperatives that public officials will begin to construct favorable public policy." --Are we doing this sufficiently?

Libertarians should like worker co-ops, and they're usually considered conservatives (not by me).

when I speak about cooperation, I focus on the values and principles. "autonomy and independence", democracy, solidarity resonate with everyone.

There has been some work on measuring the impact of co-ops in Canada.It would be worth incorporating this discussion: https://community-wealth.org/content/co-operatives-sustainable-communities-tools-measure-co-operative-impact-and-performance

Hi John, I haven't read your link yet, but after watching a recent documentary on Netflix, A New Economy, I see Canada as having an advantage due to national health care. Most US citizens are trapped in the wage slave condition by our need for company health care. I think that if we move to a single payer system here people will jump at the chance to participate in a cooperative economy.