Navigating political and economic tensions over time in platform cooperatives: The case of CoopCycle

Abstract

Cooperative platforms are confronted with their dual nature of ensuring both a political mission and economic viability. Through a case study of the CoopCycle platform and federation, we examine the evolution of CoopCycle and how it deals with the tensions associated with its dual nature over time. By examining the economic and political development of CoopCycle from a temporal perspective, our study provides insights that advance and complement ongoing work on platform cooperatives. First, it shows how tensions can be managed differently at different stages of a cooperative's lifecycle. Second, by analyzing how CoopCycle builds a sustainable business model without losing sight of its mission statement, we contribute to the dearth of studies examining the economic survival of platform cooperatives. Overall, our study shows that balancing tensions in platform cooperatives is probably not immediately rewarding, but that temporary compromises in the short-term can lead to long-term synchronization of political and economic goals.