The Community-Based Cooperative: Is It a Business Model for the Economic Development of the Local Area? Experiences in Italy and the Case of the Puglia Cooperative Jemma

This article is focussed on community-based cooperatives having a distinctive feature: the active participation of citizens in a geographically defined community of reference. In recent years, these cooperatives - already widespread at international level –have been spreading in Italy thanks to the activism of trade associations and local Public Administrations. This paper, through the illustration of case studies, aims to highlight the potential of community-based cooperatives for the support and the development of local entrepreneurship. In this regard, the present analysis is focussed on a newly established cooperative in Puglia (the Jemma), on the potentiality and problems concerning it and on the role played by local government. The choice of the cooperative Jemma is due to various reasons, including its location in Southern Italy and its sector of activity, i.e. the food industry, that just like tourism is an asset relevant to the economic development of Puglia.