The Mondragon model: How a Basque co-operative defied Spain's economic crisis

Worker co-operative Mondragon has demonstrated impressive resilience in helping keep jobless levels in the Basque region to under half the Spanish national average. By Race Mathews.

Back in the early 1980s, the former Secretary of State for Education in Harold Wilson’s Labour government, Shirley Williams, alerted me to a remarkable instance of regional economic development through employee empowerment, centred on Mondragon in the Basque region of Spain.

Kenny's 'recovery' is a grandiose PR exercise

The claim that Enda Kenny and his governemnt have inspired some kind of recovery is just plain wrong. By Vincent Browne.

The cover story in the European edition of Time magazine on Ireland's "Celtic comeback" pioneered by Enda Kenny was a public relations triumph, for which Kenny himself deserves credit.

Greed is good. Fun is fabulous

Professor Georges Enderle from the University of Notre Dame has been giving a series of lectures this week at the Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick. One of his most interesting ideas is around the purpose of business, which he sees as the creation of wealth. So far, so Friedman. The cool bit is how he defines wealth. By Sheila Killian

Mobilise to stop EU Israel Protocol

Next week, the European Parliament in Strasbourg will vote on a Protocol to the EU-Israel Association Agreement (officially known as the “Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Community and its Member States and the State of Israel”).

Campaign group calls on government to adopt equality budgeting in Budget 2013

Today, on International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, the Equality Budgeting Campaign has called on the Government to introduce measures “to put a halt to the growing inequality and poverty seen in Ireland since the beginning of the economic crisis”. The campaign coalition, which includes lone parent groups, disability organisations, migrant organisations, trade unions and women’s groups, among others, says that it is possible for the Government to reverse the current trend toward increased hardship for the poorest people living in Ireland.

It's called hunger

That we can’t, that we don’t, ensure that nobody in our society goes without food says something about the kind of society that is being created for us. By Michael Taft.

Ireland's relentless assault on the vulnerable

While in Iceland the left-leaning Icelandic government chose to focus the impact of the adjustments necessitated by the crisis on the richest sectors of Icelandic society, in Ireland the poorest have been made to bear the brunt. By Vincent Browne.

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