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Did you know the ICRG has nearly three hundred free cooperative resources?

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Cooperative Research That Bridges the Gap Between Theory and Practice

The ICRG works closely with local researchers and cooperative development organizations to understand the conditions under which cooperatives flourish and provide the most financial and social well-being for their members.

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Mapping International Cooperative Development Programs

The MiCDP portal will be a valuable tool to increase the visibility of the prominent CDO programs. It is through these locally implemented programs that CDOs are transforming the fabric of local communities towards increased economic, social and environmental sustainability.

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From the Ground Up: Partnering with Cooperatives on Locally Led Development

When localization is the goal, cooperatives should be a top choice as a development partner!

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Cooperative Research Provides A Platform For Transformative Impact

The Year 4 Cooperative Research Education and Dissemination (CRED) Semi-Annual Report is now available!

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The Research Group Has A New Website!

We have updated our site to provide ease-of-access to a tremendous wealth of resources! Visit as long as you like, and then come back soon!

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The cooperative development program

The Cooperative Development Program has fostered cooperatives as a viable and sustainable approach for building self-reliant communities.

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The u.s. overseas cooperative development council is ...

Committed to building a more prosperous world through cooperatives.

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Cooperatives: the best development partner when localization is the goal.

Cooperatives empower local people and institutions to own the planning, implementation, and evaluation of their own sustainable development. When localization is the goal, cooperatives should be a top choice as a development partner. This paper shows that cooperatives are a successful private sector business model, that can bring localization goals into clear focus. It is a resource for policy makers, government officials, private sector donors, and U.S.- based cooperatives.

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Lebanon: Cooperatives Giving Back

The Cooperative Development Activity (CD4) implemented by Land O’Lakes Venture37 partnered with Lebanon of Tomorrow to give back during the Christmas season. Cooperative members, in collaboration with Lebanon of Tomorrow team, prepared boxes containing products made by agricultural and food processing cooperatives across Lebanon supported by USAID funded CD4. Participants also cooked meals to be Read More


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Looking to the future of cooperative development in Zambia

A conversation with Eng. Linus K. Chanda, Chief Executive Officer of Zambia’s Rural Electrification Authority The International Cooperative Research Group (ICRG), research arm of the U.S. Overseas Cooperative Development Council (OCDC), was pleased to support a study tour for the Government of Zambia in partnership with OCDC member organization, NRECA International. The purpose of the Read More


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Member Spotlight: Frontier Co-op – Doing Good, Works!

Thank you to Tony Bedard, CEO of Frontier Co-op for telling us how they have been showing the world since 1976 that Doing Good, Works! When was Frontier Co-op formed? Frontier Co-op was founded in 1976 in rural Iowa to help small grocers in the region pool their resources to gain access to the natural Read More


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COVID-19 and Cooperative Resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa

This research sought to identify the major challenges faced by cooperatives in sub-Saharan Africa during COVID-19, as well as strategies and strengths employed by cooperatives to mitigate adversities. The ICRG further endeavored to understand whether and how these challenges and strengths/ strategies related to cooperative business resilience during hardship. Through a combination of survey interviews, Read More


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ICRG

The International
Cooperative Research Group

A Center For Cooperative Research Excellence

Academic Rigor | Local Engagement |
Practical Application | Cooperative Excellence

The ICRG works closely with local researchers and cooperative development organizations, carrying out rigorous field-based reasearch, to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The ICRG’s reasearch model activity builds trust, ownership, and uptake of outcomes through engagement with key local stakeholders. This collaborative approach amplifies our research outcomes and helps to spread findings culturally, creating concentrated value for members that improves wellbeing and economic status!

Our Initiatives The ICRG Program of Work

Local Capacity and Resilience

Inclusive Economic Growth

Enabling Environments

Learning and Innovation



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409,522 Members of CDP Cooperatives and Credit Unions
CDP Implemented in 14 Countries
8 New Regulations Drafted in CDP Countries
Over $6 Million of New Revenue through Public Private Partnerships

Source: USAID Cooperative Development Program data, 2017

Cooperative Law And Regulation: CLARITY

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The Cooperative Difference Member Portraits

Inclusion, equality, equity, and democracy arise when members form a cooperative.

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ICRG Resource Library


Cooperative Resilience: Annotated Bibliography


February 21, 2023

The following bibliography and its annotations were prepared through careful reading of the U.S. Overseas Cooperative Development Council and the International Cooperative Research Group’s work in creating a Business Resiliency Framework. As recovery efforts from COVID-19 continue to shape cooperative policies, it is the hope of OCDC and ICRG to provide academically rigorous recommendations and


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Climate Finance – A Companion Report


February 21, 2023

This companion report provides a summary of main funders providing climate financing and key resources for countries where OCDC members operate and support cooperatives (as of June 2022). It complements the report “Climate Finance for Cooperatives. A Resource Guide” (2022), which contains more information on acronyms and interpretation for some of the sources mentioned. Together,


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Climate Finance Report


February 21, 2023

The idea for this research paper came out of discussions that took place during the 2022 International Cooperative Research Group (ICRG) Annual Learning Event organized by OCDC in January 2022. During the Learning Event, OCDC’s CDO members expressed interest in understanding better the ‘green’ (or environmental) and climate finance landscape, given how closely the green


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CR2 Synthesis Report


February 21, 2023

The CR2 report highlights findings from the Collaborative Research for Cooperative Resilience Program.  COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH FOR COOPERATIVE RESILIENCE (CR2) RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS: A multisectoral analysis of cooperative resilience in emerging markets during COVID-19. The research took place with research partners selected through a competitive grant program administered by the International Cooperative Research Group (ICRG) under the Overseas


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Job Opportunities

  • Job Posting: For Organizations June 1, 2020 by Research Group Interested in partnering with OCDC and the ICRG? We work with international cooperative development organizations to research, facilitate, and promote… Read More
  • Job Posting: For Individuals June 1, 2020 by Research Group Interested in working for OCDC? Check back to this page for future full-time positions available with OCDC and the ICRG! Read More

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Cooperative Development Program

Cooperatives build a more stable, secure and prosperous world.

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