Institutional Design and Cooperative Success: The Case of Producer Cooperatives
41 Pages Posted: 14 Aug 2023
There are 2 versions of this paper
Institutional Design and Cooperative Success: The Case of Producer Cooperatives
Date Written: May 7, 2023
Abstract
I develop typologies to investigate different hypotheses on the effects of producer cooperative (PC) support structures and the internal organizational design of individual PCs on success. Evidence, including for a new case, shows that individual PCs typically benefit from a strong and well-resourced federation. However the preferred set-up may vary across countries. Particularly important design features for individual PC success include strong participation in control and in returns by core worker-members; no single set of arrangements is universally appropriate, especially with regard to both traditional PCs and multi stakeholder cooperatives. Implications for several issues, including policy and an appropriate research agenda, are considered.
Keywords: cooperatives; networks; producer cooperatives; institutional design; employee ownership; participation in control; participation in returns.
JEL Classification: J33; M52; M54; L66
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation