Cooperative data in a comparative perspective: Avoiding pitfalls for robust data aggregation

An increasing number of research projects resort to comparing and/or aggregating cooperative data, e.g., to address the question of the impact of cooperatives on society. To illustrate the pitfalls of data comparison and aggregation over time and space, this chapter analyzes a corpus of sources of historical data on cooperatives, from registration to federation data at the national and international levels. Following an epistemological framework of historical critique, the chapter stresses the need to carefully assess the scope and collection methodology of sources of data on cooperatives at the crossover of institutional boundaries, legal frameworks, and worldviews. The chapter proposes a stepwise approach of sources’ aggregation to reach scientific robustness. The results of this investigation call for a scientific coordination of any comparative endeavor beyond individual research teams. They also support a call to anticipate prospective source preservation on cooperative development through coordination of standards and methodologies.