IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/annpce/v97y2026i3p557-577.html

Intercooperation and open innovation: Unleashing cooperative firms’ innovation potential

Author

Listed:
  • Josu Santos‐Larrazabal
  • Imanol Basterretxea
  • Ana Fernández‐Sainz

Abstract

This research examines how interorganizational cooperation impacts the innovation performance of cooperative firms. Existing literature asserts that there are limitations in the innovation capabilities of cooperatives. This study seeks to challenge that assumption and explore whether the nature of such firms enhances their cooperation with various stakeholders, enabling them to obtain better innovation outcomes. Based on data from 718 manufacturing establishments in the Basque Country (Spain), 57 of them cooperatives, regression analyses show that the cooperative nature of firms interacts positively and significantly with cooperation with universities and research centres. Such open innovation practices enable cooperatives to obtain competitive advantages in new‐to‐firm innovations and competitive parity in new‐to‐market innovations. Moreover, our findings highlight that cooperative firms invest significantly more in external R&D activities and cooperate more to innovate with more diverse stakeholders. These results underline the importance of intercooperation and open innovation policies for cooperatives and highlight the advantages of strengthening networks between various institutions to foster innovation performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Josu Santos‐Larrazabal & Imanol Basterretxea & Ana Fernández‐Sainz, 2026. "Intercooperation and open innovation: Unleashing cooperative firms’ innovation potential," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 97(3), pages 557-577, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:annpce:v:97:y:2026:i:3:p:557-577
    DOI: 10.1111/apce.70030
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/apce.70030
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/apce.70030?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:annpce:v:97:y:2026:i:3:p:557-577. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1370-4788 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.