The aim of this series is to provide a focus for writers and readers interested in exploring the relation between the knowledge economy and education or an aspect of that relation, for example, vocational and professional education theorised critically. It seeks authors who are keen to question conceptually and empirically the causal link that policymakers globally assume exists between education and the knowledge economy by raising: (i) epistemological issues as regards the concepts and types of and the relations between knowledge, the knowledge economy and education; (ii) sociological and political economic issues as regards the changing nature of work, the role of learning in workplaces, the relation between work, formal and informal learning and competing and contending visions of what a knowledge economy/knowledge society might look like; and (iii) pedagogic issues as regards the relationship between knowledge and learning in educational, community and workplace contexts. The series is particularly aimed at researchers, policymakers, practitioners and students who wish to read texts and engage with researchers who call into question the current conventional wisdom that the knowledge economy is a new global reality to which all individuals and societies must adjust, and that lifelong learning is the strategy to secure such an adjustment. The series hopes to stimulate debate amongst this diverse audience by publishing books that: (i) articulate alternative visions of the relation between education and the knowledge economy; (ii) offer new insights into the extent, modes, and effectiveness of people's acquisition of knowledge and skill in the new circumstances that they face in the developed and developing world, (iii) and suggest how changes in both work conditions and curriculum and pedagogy can led to new relations between work and education.

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Purpose Little research exists on the economic impact of the co-operative sector in Canada, and changes in the sector over time. The purpose of this paper is to fill-in the gaps in the knowledge about the size of the sector and its performance over time using a comparative analysis. Design/methodology/approach The authors of this paper conducted an input-output analysis of co-operatives in Canada for the years 2009 and 2010. First, the authors quantified the size of the sector for each year and then these two data points were compared to analyze the changes in this one-year period. Findings This paper demonstrates that co-operatives in Canada are significant to the national economy and remain stable over time. Originality/value This is the first time such a study has been done in Canada for the co-operative sector.