Dr Carol Power

Biography

Carol is a lecturer in the Department of Food Business and Development and a Senior Researcher with the Centre for Co-operative Studies at UCC.   

Carol completed her BA (1st Class Honours) in Geography and Policy Studies (UCC) in 1999.  She was awarded a Government of Ireland Scholarship to pursue a PhD in Geography (UCC), which she completed in 2006.  Her doctoral thesis focused on the role of business associations and collaborative networks in supporting the business ecosystem for the development of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector in Cork, Ireland.  Carol also holds a Postgraduate Certificate and a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. 

Carol has research expertise within the fields of co-operatives, social economy and the care sector.  She draws on this research to inform her teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, which include modules on local development, sustainability strategy in business, and other aspects of sustainable development and societal challenges.  She also supervises postgraduate students’ research, including PhD level research. 

Carol’s research is motivated by a desire to address societal challenges through stakeholder-engaged research.  Her current research interests focus on the role of the social economy, with particular emphasis on co-operative models, in the care sector.  Foregrounding the experiences of those who give and receive care, Carol is interested in how ownership, governance and management facilitate or impede relationship-centred approaches to care provision and care work at organisation and systems levels.  

Carol is the UCC PI on the Horizon Europe-funded DICES project: Driving Inclusive Care: Economic Democracy and Social Economy (2025-2029).  Conducted in collaboration with nine institutional partners in seven countries, this project aims to enhance understanding of Europe's social economy and identify factors driving its uneven development; evaluate the role of social economy organisations in addressing social exclusion and improving services and workplaces; and recommend policy measures and governance frameworks to unlock the social economy's potential, including strategies for identifying and promoting best practice.  The project has a strong focus on the social economy in the context of care, including care work, care services and related initiatives.  

Carol has held three IRC/Research Ireland New Foundations (Enhancing Civic Society) awards, which have funded collaborative research projects with stakeholder organisations. 

MENSPACE (completed in 2022) was a collaboration with the Irish Men’s Sheds Association to consider the role of men’s sheds (community-based spaces for men to meet, learn and share skills, and engage in community projects) as local champions of the Sustainable Development Goals.  The findings were published in the project report, Men's sheds and the Sustainable Development Goals: Local responses to global challenges.  

CO-AGE (completed in 2024) was a collaboration with Age Action to explore the potential of the co-operative model as a way to provide high-quality home care for older people in Ireland.  The findings were published in the project report, Supporting older people to age well at home: Assessing the potential of care co-operatives in Ireland. 

ASPIRE, also a collaboration with Age Action, commenced in 2025 to explore the role of social economy initiatives in supporting ageing in place in Ireland. 

Carol values interdisciplinary research collaborations.  Within UCC, she is a member of several interdisciplinary research clusters within the Institute for Social Sciences in the 21st Century (ISS21), including Social, Health and Political Economy (SHAPE); Ageing; CARE 21; and Work, Organisations and Welfare.   

Carol is a member of the Society for Co-operative Studies Ireland and the scientific network of the International Centre of Research and Information on the Public, Social and Cooperative Economy (CIRIEC). 

At postgraduate level, Carol teaches on several programmes, including the MSc in Sustainable Development, Agri-Food and Co-operatives and the MSc in International Sustainable Business.  At undergraduate level, she contributes modules to several programmes, including the BComm, the BSc in International Development, and the BSc in Government & Political Science.  

Current modules include: 

• FE1400 Local Development and Public Health (in collaboration with the School of Public Health) 
• FE2012 Sustainability in Modern Business 
• FE3014 Sustainable Development: Environment, Economy and Society 
• FE6305 Contemporary Socio-economic and Environmental Challenges 

Carol is committed to supporting students on their learning journey.  Building on her Postgraduate Certificate (2013) and Postgraduate Diploma (2020) qualifications in Teaching and Learning, she engages in ongoing professional development, including a Digital Badge in Universal Design for Learning (2025) and a Digital Badge in Inclusive Assessment (2025).  She applies this learning in her teaching and assessment practice to enhance the student learning experience.  

ResearchGate Profile