C I C S  Cardiff Institute for co-operative studies

The Cardiff Institute for Co-operative Studies (formerly Wales Institute for Research into Co-operatives) was established in 2002 as in interdisciplinary research centre. It is run under tyhe direction of Dr Molly Scott Cato and works under the auspices of Cardiff School of Management. The Institute was the first Wales-based research centre working to focus primarily on exploring and developing knowledge about co-operatives, credit unions, mutuals and member-based organisations in the region.

Since 2002, the Institute has developed its reputation and remit and has a national and international presence. It comprises academic and research staff within the school, together with a broader network of practitioners and academics from across Wales and the UK and is part of various international networks of academics who are engaged in complementary work.  Through collaborations and networks, members of the Institute are actively involved in the promotion and development of the co-operative organisations and applied research through umbrella organisations such as the UK Society for Co-operative Studies, Co-operativesUK and Co-operatives and Mutuals Wales.

Key areas of expertise include critical management, applied economics, regeneration policy and practice, social, environmental and economic aspects of sustainability, quantitative and qualitative methods of social research, and practical experience of developing and supporting a wide range of Co-operatives, Mutuals, Credit Unions and other Social Enterprises in a variety of settings.

For more information on CICS, visit Cardiff Institute for Co-operative Studies web-page at Cardiff School of Management