Times of crisis increase the discussion about alternative economic and social models. With the pandemic and the growth of income and wealth disparities, the productive cooperative economic structure has once again become a central theme of the social and economic policy debate. At the same time, new theoretical knowledge, technological development and internationalization change the operating and competitive environment of companies and create opportunities for new operating models. In the work, internationally renowned researchers examine the conditions under which cooperatives and similar business forms built on the principles of employee self-management and emphasised corporate democracy could succeed in competition with other companies. This publication offers a broad overview of the cooperative movement¿s history, present-day and future possibilities, as well as the European, especially German and Finnish, discussion about the possibilities and challenges of cooperatives. The goal is to identify factors that improve the competitive opportunities of cooperatives compared to other business forms and pave the way for a more inclusive economic structure.