The three pillars of the co-operative

•The co-operative has an unique position between the public, private and civic sphere.•Co-operatives are often seen through the lens of just of one these spheres – e.g. the economic performance of the co-operative is measured.•The three foundational pillars of co-operatives are: aiming for change, its economic capacity and its organizing capacity.

This paper proposes an analytical model for co-operatives that takes their unique position between the public, private and civic sphere into account. We suggest that the economic capacity, the organizing capacity and aiming for change are the foundational pillars of co-operative organizations. Co-operatives come in many different forms and functions – it is difficult to give a clear demarcation of this field – but these three pillars can offer a common foundation for all the different types of co-operatives. The ideas set forth is this paper may advance the long-neglected academic discussion towards a better understanding of the common characteristics of the co-operative.