Cooperatives are a means through which farmers may gain economic power by reducing unit transaction costs associated with production, marketing and distribution of products. In South Africa, cooperatives are promoted as a means of advancing economic development in rural areas through empowerment, development of income generating activities, improvement of human resource capacity, and increased savings and investment. The new Cooperatives Act 14 of 2005 was enacted in August 2005 to promote the role of cooperatives as organisations for pro-poor development in South Africa and to increase their chance of survival in the economy. This study uses a New Institutional Economics (NIE) framework to analyse the Cooperatives Act and its worth as a vehicle for promoting pro-poor development. A hypothetical cooperative, predicated by the new Act, was analysed using the NIE to identify institutional problems likely to constrain the collective efforts of small producers. A case study approach was then used to analyse three production cooperatives in KwaZulu-Natal that were registered post August 2005 and still operational in 2008. Interviews were conducted with individual members, directors and project managers (where applicable) between May and July 2008. Open-ended questions provided the flexibility needed to explore the institutional roots of problems identified by respondents. Free-rider, horizon, portfolio, control and influence problems were identified in the case studies. These problems, which stem from ill-defined voting and benefit rights, resulted in low equity investment, low investment in long term assets, a preference for current cash flows rather than future investment, and social conflict – all of which constrained the competitiveness and growth prospects of the cooperatives studied. In an attempt to mitigate these problems, two of the cooperatives shed their poorest members, a solution which is not consistent with the objective of pro-poor economic development. Additionally, two cooperatives opted to create their own rules to reward investors with capital gains - an institutional arrangement that is not permitted by the new Act. It is concluded that the new Act should be amended to give cooperatives greater flexibility in their institutional arrangements. In particular, cooperatives should be allowed to issue tradable equity shares that offer benefits proportional to shareholding. If these tradable equity shares carry voting rights and are offered to non-patron investors, aggregate voting rights conferred on these non-patron investors should be capped to prevent loss of control by patron members. It is further recommended that the same level of start-up support should be made available to all producer groups that formally register their business, regardless of the business model chosen, and that member empowerment should be an essential requirement for registration and public funding. Keywords: Agricultural Cooperatives, Cooperatives Act, New Institutional Economics, Case Study / Thesis (M.Sc.Agric.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

In 1994 South Africa took a new direction towards democratic governance. This led to a change of government principles and approaches in leading the country. The people became the centre of the country’s development, resulting in the adoption of people-centred development and people-driven strategies. A special focus highlighted women as in the category which had endured poverty the most in South Africa. The South African government, through its various departments, has a responsibility to improve the lives of South Africans, and the Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Social Development is one of the departments which has committed itself towards changing the lives of women in the community. As a strategy to implement community development, the Provincial Department of Social Development is funding women cooperative programmes. Women cooperatives are a relatively new endeavour to address poverty within the democratic South Africa. The study supports the notion and attempts to show the impact that women have on community development. The researcher began studying the trends and realized that the funds allocated and the funding process of community development programmes by Provincial Department of Social Development is not working towards empowering communities. A purposive sampling method was used to select two women cooperative programmes in the Chris Hani District Municipality to explore the role of women in community development in the current context of democracy and social welfare transformation in South Africa; to explore the impact of gender through women cooperatives on community development and to explore strategies for the empowerment of women through community development intervention. The design of the study is qualitative, exploratory and descriptive in nature. The study also adapted evaluation and gender analysis methods to verify the effectiveness of women programmes. The study recommends that women be empowered with skills, knowledge, resources and opportunities to enable them to be more effective in community development.

Dissertation (LLM )--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / Copy not signed by author. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The use of co-operative pools in the South African Agricultural sector is a common phenomenon and an accepted commercial practice. Although it has seldom been at issue, the pool relationship between producers and the cooperative undoubtedly has certain legal consequences for the respective parties. Our courts have never addressed the aforementioned legal consequences authoritatively, probably because until now no disputes have arisen which could not be settled through negotiation between the parties concerned. Recently die legal nature of the pool relationship has became more of an issue primarily because of queries issued by the South African Revenue Service regarding the treatment of co-operative pools for purposes of income tax. Although this study is not aimed at addressing the income tax issues as regards the pool relationship, determining the legal nature of the pool relationship will be decisive for determining how co-operative pools should be treated for tax purposes. In addition to tax-related consequences, the legal nature of the pool relationship will necessarily also be decisive for issues such as insolvency and breach of contract. In this study the courts' approach to the classification of new types of contracts will be examined in order arrive at an underlying principle for evaluating the contractual nature of the pool relationship. After completion of the aforementioned examination, the functional characteristics of the pool relationship will be outlined and the implications thereof in respect of the law of things determined. The next stage involves the comparison of the functional characteristics of the pool relationship with the essential features of certain types of contracts to determine whether the pool relationship may be classified as one of these types of contract. From the aforementioned investigation it seems that the pool relationship does not satisfy the essential requirements of a contract of partnership, representation, the 'undisclosed principal' situation or mandate. The manner in which new types of contracts are classified in South African law is then revisited and proposals are made as to a possible methodology for classifying contracts that, in terms of the classical approach to the classification of contracts, would have been typified as sui generis. In accordance with this proposed approach to the classification of contracts, the conclusion is reached that the pool relationship is a new contract type that amalgamates elements of a contract of partnership, mandate and locatio conductio operis. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die gebruik van koëperatiewe poele in die Suid-Afrikaanse landbou kom algemeen voor en is In aanvaarde kommersiële praktyk. Alhoewel dit al selde op die spits gedryf is, het die poelverhouding tussen die onderskeie produsente en die koëperasie ongetwyfeld regsgevolge vir die onderskeie partye. Voorgemelde regsgevolge is nog nooit deur In Suid-Afrikaanse hof aangespreek nie, waarskynlik omdat daar nog nie enige dispute was betreffende die die poelverhouding wat nie deur dialoog bygelê kon word nie. In die onlangse verlede het die regsaard van die poelverhouding egter meer relevant geword hoofsaaklik weens navrae van die Suid-Afrikaanse Inkomstediens betreffende die belastinghantering van kooperatiewe poele. Alhoewel hierdie verhandeling nie daarop gerig is om die belastinggevolge van die poelverhouding aan te spreek nie, sal die bepaling van die regsaard van die poelverhouding bepalend wees vir die hantering van die poelverhouding vir doeleindes van belasting. Afgesien van belastinggevolge sal die regsaard van die poelverhouding ook uiteraard bepalend wees betreffende kwessies soos insolvensie en kontrakbreuk. In hierdie studie sal die howe se benadering tot die klassifikasie van nuwe kontraksoorte ondersoek word ten einde In grondslag te lê waarvolgens die kontraktuele aard van die poelverhouding beoordeel kan word. Na voorgemelde ondersoek word die funksionele kenmerke van die poelverhouding uiteengesit en die sakeregtelike implikasies daarvan bepaal. Die funksionele kenmerke van die poelverhouding word daarna opgeweeg teen die wesenskenmerke van 'n aantal kontraksoorte ten einde vas te stelof die poelverhouding as sodanig geklassifiseer kan word. Uit hierdie ondersoek blyk dit dat die poelverhouding nie aan die wesenskenmerke van die vennootskapsverhouding, verteenwoordiging, die 'undisclosed principal' situasie of 'n lasgewingsverhouding voldoen nie. Die wyse waarop nuwe kontraktsoorte in die Suid-Afrikaanse reg hanteer word, word daarna weer oorweeg en voorstelle aan die hand gedoen waarop kontrakte wat, ingevolge die klassieke benadering tot die uitleg van kontrakte, as sui generis klassifiseer word, hanteer kan word. In ooreenstemming met hierdie voorgestelde metode van klassifikasie word daar dan tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat die poelverhouding 'n mengvorm tussen 'n vennootskap, 'n lasgewingooreenkoms en 'n werkaanbestedingsooreenkoms is.

The study assess the roles played by cooperative societies’ savings and loans services on members’ economic condition, standard of living and in meeting participants financial needs in rural locations where there is no bank nor other formal financial providers. Using a combination of interview, focus group discussion and questionnaire techniques, the study covers the activities of cooperative societies located in rural communities and villages outside the state capital and local government headquarters where there is no electricity, water and tarred road in Ogun State, Nigeria. From its findings, this study identified and discussed potential areas for the improvement of cooperative societies that could be of benefit to rural finance providers and the cooperative members. The study is the first empirical investigation in Nigeria that focuses on the relevance of cooperative societies on members’ standard of living in rural communities and villages. The study shed light on how rural communities function – how their relationships develop, how individual esteem is increased, how interdependence grows, how hierarchies are maintained – and how this is facilitated in part by the loan-making of members promoted cooperatives. It has also provided more evidence on the importance of land ownership, and how this is enhanced when rural communities have access to cheap and affordable loans. It has also provided insights into the development of rural businesses, how complex they are, and how they require more input than the financing received through cooperative loans. The study breaks new ground in informal cooperative functioning, community development and rural finance research by providing a distinction between standard of living and quality of life variables in measuring the economic condition of rural dwellers, and the production of circle of social capital theory that the role of cooperatives to the members involve financial capital, physical capital and social capital which are interrelated. This helps to appropriately identify the roles of cooperative societies in rural finance to increase in household income, ownership of household assets and acquisition of enterprise assets. However, participation in the cooperative does not lead to enterprise profitability, while rural financial needs are more accessible from cooperatives than other sources.

This case study examines the development of a co-operative to govern a collaboration of health and social service agencies in a town in British Columbia. Community action research was the methodology used to answer the question 'What are the possibilities and issues of co-operative governance for collaboration among nonprofit agencies?' Documents, participant observation, and interviews constituted the data. The analysis is presented in four ways: the chronological stages of development; the way the participants began to act like the co-op they wanted to become; the features of membership in comparison to the seven Principles adopted by the International Co-operative Alliance; and the issues of concern. The findings are that participants established a shared vision, formed new relationships in a network governed as a co-operative, and added new resources to enhance the social capital of the community. A co-operative governance model, newly possible after changes in the BC legislation governing co-operatives, was chosen and put into practice because it was seen as innovative, flexible and egalitarian. This choice indicated a new purpose, to build mutual trust and a sectoral voice within the social economy through co-operative practice. The members expect that their cooperative will help them cope with change by providing a forum for learning and consensus building. The development of the co-op can claim to be health promoting because it built social capital and increased community control of conditions affecting the lives of children, youth and their caregivers.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-03T18:35:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alexandre_Ambrogi.pdf: 484251 bytes, checksum: 6fe14eade84acefeca2013efc1699734 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-06-01 / The aim of this dissertation is to demonstrate, through the analysis of a specific situation, that Accounting offers adequate ways for cooperative enterprises to make their engagements in social responsibility evident. Basically, it presents cooperatives as social companies that want to promote the improvement of life of their members and employees as well as the well-being of the community they are part of. This dissertation explores the concept, the historic evolution and the record of social responsibility in business, making clear its natural connection with the doctrine of the cooperatives. It gives an account of important moments in the history of cooperative actions, stressing its beginning, main values, and ratification of its concept. About the measuring and the way social actions become known to the public, we refer to the Social Balance Sheet and present the Statement of Value Added - SVA as the best way to prove that social responsibility does occur. Documents and interviews were used, with leaders of the entity study object, for the collection of data, which were analyzed with relationship your adaptation to the concept of social responsibility. The study was developed in one of the more/better known cooperatives of the country, founded in 1954 and constituted by 1,320,684 cooperated, in other words, 17.86% of the cooperated total of the country. Documents and interviews were used, with leaders of the entity study object, for data collection, which were analyzed its adaptation to the concept of social responsibility. The studied problem was how evidencing the social aspects in the cooperative enterprise using the appropriate resources offered by the accounting science. The concern with social affairs is clear internally, with the associates and employees, as much as it is shown when it deals with the community. On the other hand, it also reveals the insufficiency in the way it advertises its deeds and projects of strong social impact. In conclusion, this dissertation suggests that cooperatives should make use of the Social balance Sheet, which lists their good deeds and social investments, together with the SVA, which relates the origin of financial funds to the social responsibility deeds and their real and legally right beneficiaries, that is, those who contribute to the economic results of the business. / Este trabalho objetivou contribuir para a evidencia????o das a????es de responsabilidade social desenvolvidas pelos empreendimentos cooperativos. Na disserta????o explora-se o conceito, a evolu????o hist??rica e o registro da responsabilidade social no meio empresarial, ressaltando sua estreita e natural rela????o com a doutrina cooperativista. Apresenta momentos importantes da hist??ria do cooperativismo, salientando o seu surgimento, seus princ??pios e valores e a consolida????o do conceito de empreendimento cooperativo. Sobre a evidencia????o e divulga????o das a????es sociais, o trabalho discorre sobre o Balan??o Social e apresenta a Demonstra????o do Valor Adicionado - DVA, como grande diferencial. Trata-se de pesquisa explorat??ria, conduzida por meio de um estudo de caso, tendo como base um referencial bibliogr??fico que situa as cooperativas como empresas de cunho social, que buscam a melhoria de vida de seus membros associados e funcion??rios, assim como o bem-estar da comunidade onde est??o inseridas. O estudo de caso foi desenvolvido numa das mais conhecidas cooperativas do pa??s, fundada em 1954 e constitu??da por 1.320.684 cooperados, ou seja, 17,86% do total de cooperados no pa??s. Foram utilizados documentos e entrevistas, com dirigentes da entidade objeto de estudo, para a coleta de dados, os quais foram analisados quanto a sua adequa????o ao conceito de responsabilidade social. O problema estudado foi como evidenciar os aspectos sociais no empreendimento cooperativo utilizando-se dos recursos adequados oferecidos pela ci??ncia cont??bil. Verificou-se, na entidade objeto de estudo, a abrangente preocupa????o com o social, tanto no ??mbito interno, com os cooperados e funcion??rios, como na rela????o com a comunidade. Por outro lado, ?? revelada a insuficiente evidencia????o de suas a????es e projetos de impacto social. Como resultado final, esta disserta????o sugere ??s cooperativas uma composi????o do Balan??o Social, que relata as a????es e os investimentos sociais, com a DVA, que relaciona a origem dos recursos financeiros ??s a????es de responsabilidade social e seus verdadeiros e justos beneficiados, aqueles que contribuem com os resultados econ??micos do neg??cio

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of the North, 2004 / Refer to document

The cooperative enterprise has seemed, to many contemporary 'green' theorists, to be a socially sustainable economic alternative to conventional corporate capitalism, based on the ideas of grassroots participation, democracy, egalitarianism, community, social equity and empowerment. I argue, however, that there has been no attempt in 'green' thought to analyze gender relations within the cooperative enterprise. Instead, 'green' theorists view the cooperative as a homogeneous social entity with a shared subjectivity; and assume that the cooperative's 'sustainable' attributes - decentralized, democratic, and equitable principles - will ensure gender equity and empowerment through social sustainability. Reviewing 'green' theories of cooperatives and social sustainability, this thesis challenges 'green' interpretations of participation and social sustainability that ignore members' gendered identities, relations, and interests, particularly in resource-dependent communities. 'Green' definitions of participation have tended to narrowly focus on access to the cooperative without paying attention to cooperative member dynamics. By focusing attention on the nuances of participation and the implications for equity and empowerment, this thesis explores the complexities and contradictions of gender and participation as they apply to a mixed-gender community resource cooperative on Malcolm Island, British Columbia. Using a labour-knowledge-authority framework, the case study of the Malcolm Island Community Resource Cooperative (MICRC) illustrates that while the cooperative may be socially sustainable according to 'green' community and social economic ideals, actual participation in the cooperative enterprise is more complex, contradictory, and gendered than 'green' thought has typically assumed.

The primary goal of development is to alleviate poverty, and thus improve people's lives. Co-operatives around the world are becoming used more regularly as a vehicle for such development. However, as a result of economic pressures, co-operatives have changed over the years, reflecting a more business-like approach in order to compete in a competitive market. As a result certain types of co-operatives come under the banner of 'new wave' co-operatives. This dissertation examines two such co-operatives and analyses what social and economic benefits accrue to individuals as a result of participating in rural co-operatives. It also reflects upon the 'managed' status of the co-operative and its implication for members. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1999.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed January 11, 2006). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references ( p. 303-315).