Global Working Groups Launch Statistical Frameworks for Cooperatives and SSE

The global push for comprehensive, harmonized statistics on cooperatives and the broader social and solidarity economy (SSE) took a significant step forward in April 2025. Following the successful joint kick-off meeting on 12 March 2025, two newly established Technical Working Groups (TWGs) convened their first technical sessions on 28 and 29 April, respectively. These inaugural sessions marked the beginning of collaborative efforts to develop internationally accepted statistical methodologies that can inform policy, research, and advocacy for these vital segments of the economy.

Catalyzing Change: Two Working Groups, One Goal

The initiative brings together experts, statisticians, researchers, and institutional stakeholders under the leadership of the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) and the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy (UNTFSSE). Their shared goal is to design robust, globally adaptable statistical tools that capture the scale, structure, and contribution of cooperatives and SSE entities — sectors often underrepresented in traditional economic analyses.

Measuring the Economic Contribution of Cooperatives

On 28 April 2025, the COPAC-led Technical Working Group on Measuring the Economic Contribution of Cooperatives (TWG MECC) convened for its first deep-dive session. The meeting, which brought together national statisticians, cooperative experts, and economic analysts, focused on framing a methodology to assess the impact of cooperatives on employment, GDP, and tax revenues.

Olivier Frey, the lead author of the draft framework, emphasized the need for conceptual clarity and methodological flexibility. He presented a modular approach adaptable across countries with varying levels of data availability and statistical capacity. Frey also underlined often-overlooked indicators such as:

• Cooperative-generated employment (including part-time, seasonal, and volunteer work)

• Cooperative-specific fiscal contributions

• Value-added in production and services sectors

Participants acknowledged a series of long-standing data gaps:

• Lack of cooperative-specific accounting standards

• Classification mismatches in national statistical systems

• Inconsistent registration and reporting practices

In response, David Hunter of StatClass Consulting stressed the importance of delivering practical, actionable guidance for national statistical offices:

“Our main task is to figure out how to measure the economic contribution of cooperatives. Through that, we determine which data points countries should begin to collect.”

To this end, the group proposed the formation of a subgroup focused on accounting standards tailored to cooperatives, aiming to bridge the gap between traditional financial reporting and the unique operational models of cooperatives.

Advancing Statistical Standards for the SSE

The following day, 29 April 2025, saw the first technical meeting of the UNTFSSE Technical Working Group on Social and Solidarity Economy Statistics (TWG SSES). This session, coordinated under the aegis of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force, addressed the conceptual and methodological challenges of measuring the diverse and evolving SSE sector.

Chiara Carini, senior researcher at Euricse, opened the session with findings from the EU-wide study on the performance of the social economy. She highlighted how European efforts to benchmark SSE contributions could inform a broader, global approach.

Participants explored issues central to the statistical invisibility of many SSE entities:

• Hybrid organizational forms that combine business, social, and community goals

• Legal ambiguity, particularly for informal or community-based groups

• Lack of shared definitions and typologies across countries

As SSE actors range from cooperatives and mutuals to non-profits, social enterprises, and informal collectives, the group advocated for a multi-dimensional statistical framework that considers legal status, functional roles, and mission-based mandates.

Marie J. Bouchard, of Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), summarized this approach:

“We should consider typologies and definitions simultaneously. By combining legal, functional, and mission-based criteria, we can arrive at a robust and inclusive statistical framework for the SSE.”

Members also discussed how to embed SSE statistics into established systems, such as the System of National Accounts (SNA) and the Satellite Account on Non-Profit Institutions (NPIs), to promote greater visibility and policy relevance.

Building the Future of Evidence-Based Policy

The April sessions of both TWGs showcased a high degree of international engagement and cooperation. These foundational discussions will inform the development of two major statistical outputs:

1. A statistical manual on cooperatives, detailing the principles, indicators, and methods needed for national-level implementation.

2. Guidelines on SSE statistics, offering a flexible framework for capturing the socio-economic contribution of the SSE sector globally.

Both outputs are scheduled to be presented at the 22nd International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) in 2028, where they are expected to shape global statistical standards for decades to come.

These efforts will support policymakers, researchers, and development practitioners in designing more inclusive, data-driven strategies for economic development, social protection, and sustainable livelihoods — ensuring that cooperatives and SSE organizations are no longer hidden in the statistical shadows.