Handbook of Research on Cooperatives and Mutuals

This incisive Handbook provides a global update on the state of knowledge in cooperatives and mutuals, expertly describing future directions for research and education. Showcasing extensive discussions of cooperative theory, Matthew S. Elliott and Michael A. Boland, and the contributors, assess cooperatives' social, economic and environmental effects and analyse the impact of regional and cultural features that make cooperatives unique. The insightful chapters are organised into key sections, including theory, organisation, governance and cross-sector applications, and introduce a relevant theory, framework, special topic or mini case on cooperatives and mutuals. The Handbook also examines the role of leaders, members and producers in supply chain governance and looks at different forms of cooperatives and mutuals and their prominence in the economy. Offering an excellent in-depth read, this Handbook will be a vital additional resource for economics scholars and researchers, and those teaching and working on cooperatives and mutualism. It will also prove helpful for conducting leader and member education programs.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Introduction to the Handbook of Research on Cooperatives and Mutuals 1 Matthew S. Elliott and Michael A. Boland PART I THEORY 1 The economic theory of agricultural and consumer cooperatives 9 Jeffrey S. Royer 2 The new institutional economic theory of cooperatives: taking stock, looking ahead 22 Matthew S. Elliott and Frayne Olson PART II ORGANIZATION 3 Organizational costs in agricultural cooperatives: comparison of European and US approaches 52 Constantine Iliopoulos and Michael L. Cook 4 New generation cooperatives: what we know and need to learn 83 Jason Franken 5 Cooperative business structures: access to capital via equity and credit 100 Christopher J. Kopka PART III GOVERNANCE 6 Social capital and governance of agricultural cooperatives 116 Jerker Nilsson 7 Leadership in agricultural cooperatives 135 John L. Park, Diane B. Friend, Matthew T. Manley and Barry L. Boyd 8 Measuring cooperative performance using organizational effectiveness and member participation 148 Sanjib Bhuyan and Kostas Karantininis 9 A framework for understanding the role of producers in governance of supply chains 166 Michael A. Boland, Noreen Byrne, Bridget Carroll, Olive McCarthy, Stephen Pitts, and Will Secor 10 The role of the farmer and their cooperative in supply chain governance: a Latin American small producer perspective 172 Stephen Pitts 11 The role of the farmer and their cooperative in supply chain governance: a US perspective 185 Michael A. Boland and William Secor 12 The role of the farmer and their cooperative in supply chain governance: an Irish perspective 193 Bridget Carroll, Olive McCarthy, Noreen Byrne, Michael A. Boland and Michael Ward PART IV CROSS-SECTOR APPLICATIONS 13 Risk and uncertainty in cooperative business 208 Frayne Olson and Matthew S. Elliott 14 The role of the marketing year and its implications for business strategy and finance 229 Michael A. Boland 15 Towards a framework for formulating cooperative strategy 235 Matthew S. Elliott, Frayne Olson, and Jasper Grashuis 16 Profit distribution and financial performance in cooperative firms 252 Phil Kenkel, Brian Briggeman, and Keri Jacobs 17 The implications of taxation and tax policies for cooperatives and members 265 Phil Kenkel, Keri Jacobs, and Brian Briggeman 18 Capitalization, equity, and growth in cooperative firms 277 Keri Jacobs, Phil Kenkel, and Brian Briggeman PART V SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS 19 Differential economic impacts for cooperative business structures: an application to farmer-owned cooperatives in New York State 292 Todd M. Schmit, Frederick C. Tamarkin, and Roberta M. Severson 20 Agricultural cooperatives and the transition to environmentally sustainable food systems 313 Jos Bijman and Julia Höhler 21 The development of cooperative-designed indicators for the SDGs 333 Fiona Duguid and Daphne Rixon PART VI REGIONAL AND CULTURAL FEATURES 22 African American cooperatives: from economic survival to economic justice 355 Jessica Gordon Nembhard 23 Recent developments among dairy cooperatives in the European Union 371 Julia Höhler and Jos Bijman 24 Social relations and cooperative development in rural China 389 Qian Wan, Eric Micheels, and Murray Fulton 25 Farmer cooperatives in China: frontiers in development and research 408 Qiao Liang and Ziming Han 26 Agricultural cooperatives in Latin America: the case of dairy 424 Alejandro Galetto and Gustavo Rossini 27 Unique features of agricultural cooperatives in sub-Saharan Africa 442 Nicola Francesconi, Fleur Wouterse, Michael L. Cook and Gashaw Abate Tadesse PART VII SPECIAL SECTORS AND TOPICS 28 Consumer cooperatives: purpose and possibilities 456 Zoë T. Plakias and Jason S. Entsminger 29 Product innovation and promotion of value-added products via marketing cooperatives 476 Kristin Kiesel, Sean Kiely, and Rachael E. Goodhue 30 Mutuals 496 James M. White 31 Worker cooperatives: solidarity at work 519 Sonja Novkovic and Jessica Gordon Nembhard 32 Multi-stakeholder cooperatives 533 Sonja Novkovic and Margaret Lund Epilogue: future directions on research and education on cooperatives and mutualism 551 Matthew S. Elliott and Michael A. Boland Index

About the Author :
Edited by Matthew S. Elliott, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Ness School of Management and Economics, South Dakota State University and Michael A. Boland, Ph.D., Professor of Agricultural Economics and the Koller Endowed Chairholder in Agribusiness Management and Information Technology, University of Minnesota, US

Review :
‘This Handbook is remarkable for the breadth and quality of its contributors. Kudos to the Editors for assembling such a comprehensive collection of chapters on cooperatives and mutuals theory, governance, and practice.’ ‘Cooperatives define a multidimensional, complex set of organizational arrangements. This Handbook mobilizes an impressive group of experts to review the nature, role, governance, and diffusion of cooperatives worldwide, whilst exploring the numerous problems they face. It is a must-read for researchers and students as well as practitioners.’ ‘Cooperatives and mutuals are a significant part of the economic landscape in most countries, but we have lacked a comprehensive source for knowledge and understanding of them and their potential to improve economic outcomes for members. This book, comprised of contributions from a distinguished group of international scholars and practitioners, fills this need and is an indispensable reference for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.’