Marco conceptual para clasificar y analizar la intensidad de la integración cooperativa en Puerto Rico

Jordán Salivia, Urayoán

doi:10.15517/jm3yrj65

Authors

Urayoán Jordán Salivia Escuela Graduada de Administración Pública, Universidad de Puerto Rico – Recinto Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico Author https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4201-0301

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15517/jm3yrj65

Keywords:

cooperation among cooperatives, strategic alliances, development, solidarity economy, coop movement, social economy

Abstract

This article is based on the premise that, despite the strategic importance of the cooperative movement in Puerto Rico, there remains a lack of a systematic framework for classifying and analyzing integration activities among cooperatives. This gap limits the cooperative sector's ability to advance the implementation of the sixth cooperative principle: cooperation among cooperatives. Drawing on a conceptual analysis methodology based on a review of the literature on cooperativism and strategic alliances, as well as a comparative analysis of international and local cases, this article proposes a conceptual framework for classifying and analyzing the intensity of cooperative integration in Puerto Rico. The framework classifies integration activities into three categories—low-intensity integration, medium-intensity integration, and high-intensity integration—based on their degree of formalization, the resources committed, and the depth of organizational commitment. The proposed framework includes activities such as shared service use, educational initiatives, strategic agreements, joint ventures, and the establishment of second- and third-tier cooperatives. The study further argues that higher levels of integration intensity, when implemented under favorable organizational conditions, can generate substantial benefits, including expanded service offerings, reduced operating costs, and strengthened internal solidarity. In addition, the framework may provide guidance for the design of public policies aimed at strengthening the cooperative movement. As a theoretically oriented study, this article does not present empirical evidence; rather, it establishes an analytical foundation for future research and for the development of strategies to strengthen the cooperative movement in Puerto Rico, with important implications for the island's sustainable socioeconomic development.

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Author Biography

Urayoán Jordán Salivia, Escuela Graduada de Administración Pública, Universidad de Puerto Rico – Recinto Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Dr. Urayoán Jordán Salivia holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Baltimore and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Puerto Rico. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Cooperativism and Social Sciences, also from the University of Puerto Rico.

His academic interests include citizen participation, self-management through cooperative enterprises, democratic governance, artificial intelligence, and education. He has presented on various topics at international academic forums—such as ASPA, NASPAA, and INPAE—as well as national ones, like ADPUPR. He has also organized panel discussions on issues such as gentrification, access to information, and digital transformation, promoting free thought and the questioning of established paradigms.

He firmly believes that education should be an act of freedom rather than conformity. Because of this, he approaches his teaching role as a practice of intellectual rebellion: challenging the comfort of easy answers, questioning traditional models, and fostering thought that disrupts the status quo. His pedagogy, rooted in critical reflection and cooperation, seeks to awaken in his students the ability to analyze, imagine, and transform public reality. Urayoán advocates for an education that turns every classroom into a space for dialogue, awareness, and change.

He served as the Founding President of the Puerto Rico Public Administration Association (2023–2025). He currently presides over the Puerto Rico Parliamentarians Association, where he promotes spaces for training, dialogue, and collaborative action.

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