1) Cooperatives represent a fundamental part of the economy in the provinces of Trento and Bolzano in Italy. In 2018, cooperatives accounted for 1.2% of companies and 12.6% of employment in Trento, and 1.6% of companies and 5.2% of employment in Bolzano. 2) The document discusses the potential consequences of COVID-19 on cooperatives in these provinces based on preliminary data and considerations. Sectors like social services and tourism may be impacted the most. 3) The researcher plans to further analyze medium-to-long term economic and social impacts of the pandemic on local cooperatives and families in a report in late 2021.

1. CHIARA CARINI
Researcher, EURICSE
10 December 2020 | 16.00-17.30 CET | WebinarRecent socioeconomic trends in Trentino and Alto-Adige/South Tyrol, Italy
#spatialproductivity
Co-operatives in the Provinces of Trento and
Bolzano: Size, impact and recent trends

2. OUTLINE
• Cooperatives in the provinces of Trento and Bolzano
• The consequences of COVID-19 on cooperatives
• Turnover and value added
• Employment
• Possible indirect consequences
• Conclusion

3. COOPERATIVES in the provinces of Trento and Bolzano
Cooperatives represent a fundamental
component of the economy in the
provinces of Trento and Bolzano.
In 2018, cooperatives in the province of
Trento represented 1.2% of private
companies active in the province and
up to 12.6% of employment in these
companies. In Bolzano, these
percentages were 1.6% and 5.2%,
respectively.
The cooperative models in the two
provinces showed differences in sector,
size, and trends in recent years, which
could be reflected by the different
impact of the pandemic on the
cooperatives of each province.
702
484
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
Bolzano Trento
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
Bolzano Trento
Number of coops (above) and their employees (below) in
the Provinces of Trento and Bozen. Years 1996-2018
Source: Euricse’analysis based on Istat
data
22,193
10,960

4. THE CONSEQUENCES OF COVID-19 ON COOPERATIVES
It is still early to determine the consequences of COVID-19 on Trentino and Bolzano province
cooperatives as only the analyses of economic, employment, and social trends in 2020 and
onwards will be able to give us information on the impact of the pandemic on the activity of
cooperatives.
Theorical and empirical analysis based on the data related to recent economic crisis showed
the anti-cyclical function of co-operatives.
However, the COVID-19 crisis is different. So, it is necessary to reflect on what the
consequences of the pandemic would be on the cooperatives of the two provinces.

5. THE CONSEQUENCES OF COVID-19 ON COOPERATIVES
Some preliminary considerations can be deduced from an analysis of data of
the Chamber of Commerce relating to new registrations and cancellations.
* dato al terzo trimestre 2020
Bolzano/Bozen Trento
2015 60 23
2016 52 25
2017 38 11
2018 37 13
2019 34 9
2020* 12 2
Bolzano/Bozen Trento
2015 44 21
2016 60 34
2017 69 29
2018 81 34
2019 64 32
2020* 24 6
New registrations
Cancellations
Source: Euricse analysis based on the data of the Chamber of Commerce of
Trento

6. Other considerations can be derived from comparing the results of a survey conducted by
the Federation of Trentino Cooperatives at the end of May 2020 and with the economic
trends of recent years of the Trentino and South Tyrol cooperatives.
1. TURNOVER
47% of cooperatives declared a decrease in turnover over the first wave of the pandemic.
The sectors suffering the most were the social sectors and work and service cooperatives.
On the other hand, 25% declared an increase in turnover, mostly in consumer cooperatives.
2. EMPLOYMENT
There was concern on the employment front.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF COVID-19 ON COOPERATIVES

7. TURNOVER and VALUE ADDED
The cooperative sector in the province of Bolzano is polarized around the
agricultural and user sectors, specifically, electricity.
Cooperatives in Trentino, on the other hand, are distributed across all sectors.
Weight and growth of Value Added. Cooperatives in the
provinces of Trento and Bolzano
based on the type of cooperative. Year 2015 Changes 2008-15
TN BZ TN BZ
Other 6.6% 28.5% -0.7% 19.1%
Agricultural producer 25.3% 53.5% 16.1% 43.9%
Consumer 12.2% 1.1% -0.1% 25.0%
Worker 23.2% 2.0% 41.9% -5.8%
Social 23.7% 11.4% 59.4% 62.3%
Other categories 9.0% 3.6%
Total % 100.0% 100.0%
Fontanari E., Borzaga C., Carini C. (2020). La performance di cooperative e società di capitali dal 2008 al 2015 nelle Province di Trento e Bolzano. Euricse Working papers W
113 | 20

8. EMPLOYMENT
Analyses on data of Italian cooperatives in the last 20 years
have shown an increase in employed workforce even in the
presence of critical conditions that persist over long periods of
time, bucking the overall, Italian private business employment
trend.
Shift and share analysis and panel analysis have also shown
that employment growth rates vary in different legal forms due
to distinct ownership structures and divergent governance of
economic relations and objectives.
Job stability during the 2008 to 2015 crisis can be interpreted as
more than a labor issue. It is part of a wider process of
cooperative welfare creation that guarantees delivery of goods
and services to constituencies regardless of economic
conditions.
Fontanari E., Borzaga C., Carini C. (2020). La performance di cooperative e società di capitali dal 2008 al 2015 nelle Province di Trento e Bolzano. Euricse Working papers WP
113 | 20
Bolzano
Bozen
Trento
Corporations 15,1% -6,3%
Cooperatives 23,4% 35,6%
Employment changes. Years 2008-
2015
Cooperatives
Bolzano/Bozen -5,4%
Trento 7,9%
Employment changes. Years 2015-
2018

9. POSSIBLE INDIRECT CONSEQUENCES
According to data from the ImpACT research on social cooperatives in Trentino in the year 2017:
• about 19,000 persons benefited from the services of type A social cooperatives: 4,300 elderly, 3,700
children and adolescents, 3,500 preschool children, 1,200 people with disabilities.
• More than 1,000 persons have benefited from services of type B social cooperatives.
• 68.8% of the turnover of the social cooperatives covers the cost of personnel and, therefore,
distributed to employees.
• 81.1% of the purchases of social cooperatives are made from Trentino companies and the exchange
is also inter-cooperative, considering that 19.5% of total purchasing expenditure is in favor of
cooperatives and a further 8.3% of the third sector entities.
www.euricse.eu/it/projects/?tag=impact
www.euricse.eu/it/publications/la-cooperazione-in-trentino-punti-di-forza-e-sfide-per-leconomia-locale/

10. CONCLUSION
The data on consequences of the pandemic on the activities of Trentino and South
Tyrol cooperatives are still currently scarce and in fragments.
Therefore, a medium- to long-term assessment of the consequences of COVID-19
on cooperatives is also necessary considering the second wave and of the
containment measures that closely involve cooperatives involved in the tourism
sector and those offering cultural and recreational activities. These may also have
repercussions on income of families employed in such activities.
Euricse is working on measuring the impact of the pandemic on the local area and in
the second half of 2021, a report will be released exploring the state of the art of
Trentino cooperatives in light of the difficulties and changes triggered by the
pandemic.