Cooperative principles should be applied to data collection and analysis, centering benefit to workers and their businesses.
As a national leader in worker cooperative data collection and analysis, we believe cooperative principles should not be confined to democratic workplaces; they should be extended to the collection and analysis of worker cooperative data. Too often research can be extractive, failing to provide direct benefit to survey participants even when well-intentioned. A research approach aligned with cooperative principles allows us to accelerate learning, improve practices, and meet the growing needs of workers locked out of good jobs and business ownership opportunities.
We are changing how we conduct research. Our Data Together program counters extractive research practices by re-centering worker and business benefits while investing in inclusive research processes.
Through Data Together we:
- share research tools, datasets, metrics, and impact findings
- ensure workers shape and directly benefit from our data and research projects
- prioritize benefits to BIPOC, immigrant, and low-wage workers, their businesses, and field practitioners.
You can engage with Data Together by:
- Applying to access data on worker ownership
- Signing up for data updates from DAWI (never sent more than monthly to keep your inbox clutter-free)
- Exploring our resource guide
For more information, contact Olga Prushinskaya, DAWI's metrics and impact analyst.
As this program grows, we will provide additional opportunities to learn, partner, and improve our work together.
A note about privacy
We take privacy seriously. Our commitment to data sharing does not compromise the safe collection, maintenance, or use of the data we own or the data of our partners. Our primary concern is to ensure the privacy of individuals and businesses is maintained. Accordingly, any approved access to data we hold is de-identified. DAWI reserves the right to review all requests for data access. DAWI also reserves the right to approve or deny any requests for data access at the organization's discretion. All efforts to share data, learnings, and practices hinge on our ability to respect the privacy of all research participants and their workplaces.