73

Asian cooperatives are characterized by the enormous diversity in their size and level of development, and by how quickly they changed their structure, governance, and finances in a changing institutional context in the wake of globalization and digitalization. This article will start with a brief summary of a century of Asian cooperation since the early twentieth century following Western models. It will explain the overall characteristics of Asian coops and describe the emergence of some Asia-specific cooperative models. Finally, a brief note on the emerging Asian cooperative research network is presented.