Learning together

Knowledge that changes the economy

Practical guides, methodologies and adaptations of key international frameworks - everything we use at ZEF, openly shared with members and the community.

From practice, for practice

What we're talking about

Cooperative governance, endogenous money, catalytic capital, regenerative economics and common good accounting - the ideas we live at ZEF every day and turn into concrete projects.

Key topic · Regenerative economy

Regenerative economy: an economy that restores

The umbrella framework that ties all other resources together - how to move from an extractive to a regenerative economy through 5 key sectors: regenerative agriculture, community energy, circular production, social economy and regenerative finance.

Governance · 7 principles

Cooperative governance at ZEF

How the 7 cooperative principles of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) shape ZEF - from the '1 member = 1 vote' rule to democratic member control over capital.

Monetary theory · Endogenous money

Endogenous money: how loans create deposits

A practical adaptation of post-Keynesian monetary theory for ZEF and the European Ethical Bank - why banks do not lend out 'other people's savings' but create money the moment they approve a loan, and what that means for ethical finance.

Impact finance · Catalytic capital

Catalytic capital: patient money that unlocks change

An adaptation of the MacArthur Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) framework - how capital that accepts higher risk and lower returns can bridge the 'capital gap' and unlock projects that conventional markets ignore.

Impact measurement · SDPI & ECG

Measuring the common good: beyond ESG

How to measure success when profit is not the goal - an adaptation of UNRISD's Sustainable Development Performance Indicators (SDPI) and the Common Good Matrix (ECG) for ethical finance, cooperative economics and climate justice.

Legal forms · Ethical entrepreneurship

Partnerships vs corporations: why the difference matters

When starting a business, the choice of legal form determines who makes decisions, who is liable for debts, and the very purpose of the organisation. Understanding the difference between partnerships (general/limited) and capital companies (LLC, joint-stock) - and how the cooperative fits in as a democratic '1 member = 1 vote' model - is the foundation of ethical entrepreneurship.

External resources

Inspiration from practice

A curated collection of articles, organisations and lectures that extend the topics in the knowledge base - Croatian housing cooperative case studies, impact measurement tools, and international sources on monetary reform.

Housing cooperatives and affordable housing

Croatian housing cooperative case studies and platforms promoting affordable housing through the cooperative model.

Measuring social and environmental impact

Methodologies and organisations that measure success beyond financial profit - through frameworks such as the Economy for the Common Good.

Banking, money and monetary reform

International sources and research centres examining how money is created and how the monetary system could serve the common good.