Keith Taylor works at the intersection of third sector organizational behavior and social impact. He thinks, writes, and strategizes around how stakeholder engagement drives performance while delivering on partner needs, impacting community economic development.
Taylor’s work has focused predominantly on co-operative business and development. He has worked in the research-to-strategy-to-development pipeline, publishing across a number of mediums on topics like public policy, renewable energy, smart cities, third sector governance and management, stakeholder engagement, and social impact. He has consulted with dozens of businesses, and presented his insights to practitioners and scholars alike.
Taylor holds a Ph.D. in Human and Community Development from the University of Illinois. He is currently a Research Associate with the Ostrom Workshop where he has completed his book Governing the Wind Energy Commons to be released in 2017.
The State of the U.S. Co-op Sector: Turbulence & Prospects
The U.S. co-op sector is facing unprecedented friction. Corporate conglomeration, 21st century technologies, and the need to respond to climate change are opening fractures that are addressed in the boardrooms of co-ops but not beyond. Members and staff are left disempowered and with deep uncertainty about their roles in their own co-ops. This lack of public discourse is leading to increasing numbers of member uprisings, compounding these conflicts.
There are numerous opportunities to address that friction. Associations are increasingly recognizing the need to engage communities on the local level. Concurrently, we are seeing innovations in co-operative governance and community development and co-operative leaders are becoming more aware of the potential of the U.S. co-operative sector to change our economy and democracy. We are at a crucial junction where co-ops have a window of opportunity to live up to their potential to be the agents of change that are so badly needed in a time of turmoil.