Author(s): Suparnyo
In Indonesia, cooperatives are the only body specifically referred to in the national constitution. In one of the most well-known articles in the constitution, namely Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution, it is stated that the national economy is structured as a joint effort based on the principle of kinship. The business entity of cooperatives is established to promote the welfare of members in particular and society in general as well as to help build national economic order in order to realize an advanced, equitable, and prosperous society, based on sharing ideals and goals. This study henceforth aims to explore the extent to which the cooperatives are able to strengthen the solidity and solidarity between members. This study was conducted as a case study in a weaving crafts cluster in Northern Central Java, exactly in Jepara Regency, that has a unique characteristic of batik. Moreover, the other originality of this study lies in its consideration on cooperatives which members are from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES) owners. Thus, the cooperatives also function an association for the members. The result of the study showed that the cooperative of Troso weaving association should design a development model of Troso Weaving SMEE through some stages. The stages include reorganizing the cooperative in terms of its administration, cooperative organs, member and official’s awareness as well as the accompaniment from stakeholders, especially government and university as the manifestation of triple helix concept of university-industry-government relationships.