In a new article for The New Yorker, author Nick Romeo profiles how the Mondragon Corporation in Spain has become the world’s largest cooperative. Mondragon is a voluntary association of ninety-five autonomous cooperatives. There are no outside shareholders and after a temporary contract, new workers who have proved themselves may become member-owners of their co-ops.
Through a series of interviews, deep dive into Mondragon’s history, and analysis of the cooperative business model, Romeo illustrates the booming success of Mondragon over the years. However, the article also addresses the organization’s limits and possible shortcomings, and the author contemplates if recreating another large-scale cooperative such as Mondragon is actually feasible.
