Organization and Strategy of Farmer Specialized Cooperatives in China

25 Pages Posted: 3 Mar 2008

See all articles by Yamei Hu

Yamei Hu

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Rotterdam School of Management (RSM)

Z. Huang

JP Morgan

George W.J. Hendrikse

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Rotterdam School of Management (RSM); Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM)

Xuchu Xu

Zhejiang University

Date Written: October 18, 2005

Abstract

A description and analysis of China’s Farmer Specialized Cooperatives is presented. Data is presented regarding the historical development of farmer cooperatives in China, the membership composition of a sample of 66 farmer cooperatives in the Zhejiang province, and the various attributes (governance, quality control system, and strategy) of a watermelon cooperative in this province. Many cooperatives are being transformed in organizations with a market orientation. These cooperatives exhibit substantial heterogeneity, in terms of farmers being member and skewness in the distribution of control rights. Human asset specificity in terms of establishing and maintaining relations and access to markets seems to be more important than physical asset specificity in accounting for governance structure choice in the current institutional setting.

Keywords: governance, China, farmer cooperative

Suggested Citation

Hu, Yamei and Huang, Z. and Hendrikse, George W.J. and Xu, Xuchu, Organization and Strategy of Farmer Specialized Cooperatives in China (October 18, 2005). ERIM Report Series Reference No. ERS-2005-059-ORG, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1100787

Yamei Hu (Contact Author)

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) ( email )

P.O. Box 1738
Room T08-21
3000 DR Rotterdam, 3000 DR
Netherlands

Z. Huang

JP Morgan

London
United Kingdom

George W.J. Hendrikse

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) ( email )

P.O. Box 1738
Room T08-21
3000 DR Rotterdam, 3000 DR
Netherlands

Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM)

P.O. Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam
Netherlands

Xuchu Xu

Zhejiang University

38 Zheda Road
Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058
China