Just as state-run banks are back in vogue, so too are co-operatives. One of the leaders in the sector - espousing what is termed the 'Rhineland model' for its stakeholder rather than a shareholder approach to business - is Rabobank of The Netherlands.
Under pressure to switch to a more dynamic Anglo-Saxon strategy, co-operatives can point to the comparative ease with which they have come through the crisis as making the case for their structure.
