The evolution of the co-operative wine sector in traditional wine-producing countries in southern Europe, such as France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, presents similar historical features in the first half of the twentieth century. However, the analysis of their current state shows that Spanish co-operatives are smaller in size than their French and Italian counterparts. Additionally, the analysis shows that Italian (and French) co-operatives have adopted a more modern business model. The main target of this work is to establish the reasons behind the differences between the Spanish and the more successful Italian co-operative wine sectors. This is carried out through comparative analysis and the examination of the development of both sectors. For this, the framework of the co-operative business life cycle is used.

This paper analyzes cooperative enterprises' networks in the Italian economy, in accordance with recent economic theory, to throw light on the causes of their success of in the last 30 years. We reference the vast literature about business networks to identify some interpretative lines that can be transferred to the cooperative world. On this basis, a typology of the Italian cooperative networks is offered, in order to evaluate the competitive advantages of each type of net, their governance methods, their evolution, and their impact on the recent flourishing of Italian cooperatives. Our conclusion is that the use of networks by co-ops has been very intensive and can still be strengthened, if Italian co-op umbrella organizations will merge. Building large cooperative corporations was often the result of networking, as was the creation of joint stock companies owned by cooperatives.