Mbhashe Local Municipality is part of eight local municipalities that make up Amathole District Municipality. The study is conducted in Mbhashe local Municipality where two co-operatives have been sampled. The purpose of the study was to investigate the challenges faced by co-operatives in achieving its intended purpose (i.e. alleviating poverty, creating employment and generating income). It is the intention of the researcher to investigate the socio-economic role played by co-operatives in this afore mentioned local municipality. For the research to be able to examine and analyse the performance and challenges faced by co-operatives around Mbhashe certain key aspects were extensively taken into consideration. These aspects are co-operative leadership, management structures, external support from different stakeholders, like different government departments, communities where co-operatives are located, and the role of NGO’s. It was the intention of the researcher to analyse the type of support given by each of the above mentioned stakeholders. It was through the study that the research was able to deduce whether the support given by these various stakeholders was enough or not in ensuring viability and sustainability of co-operatives. In conducting the research a qualitative approach was used whereby various instruments were used to collect data. It was through the variety of instruments used that the researcher managed to capture the challenges faced by co-operatives. Apart from the challenges which were the main focus of the researcher, the findings also reveal that co-operatives play a vital role in socio-economic development. This is more evident in rural areas such as those at Mbhashe Local Municipality. There is undisputed evidence shown by co-operatives that community members do benefit from the produce created by co-operatives. If co-operatives can receive the type of support they deserve, poverty in rural areas can be put to absolute minimum.

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潘文瀚. / "2006年6月" / 論文(哲學碩士)--香港中文大學, 2006. / 參考文獻(leaves 145-152). / "2006 nian 6 yue" / Abstracts also in English. / Pan Wenhan. / Lun wen (zhe xue shuo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 2006. / Can kao wen xian (leaves 145-152). / Chapter 第一章 --- 緒論 --- p.1 / 硏究問題及意義 --- p.1 / 硏究背景 --- p.3 / 理論綜述 --- p.9 / 硏究方法 --- p.17 / 論文大綱 --- p.20 / Chapter 第二章 --- 深圳女工寫照：「現代化」的困境 --- p.23 / 深圳的「崛起」與全球化生產 --- p.24 / 外來女工的生活 --- p.30 / 中國工運空間的縮減 --- p.39 / 小結 --- p.45 / Chapter 第三章 --- 合作社的出現 --- p.47 / 婦女團結理念：從服務到社運 --- p.48 / 婦女團結在深圳面對的困難 --- p.53 / 成立合作社的原因 --- p.58 / 女工合作社的發展過程 --- p.64 / 小結 --- p.69 / Chapter 第四章 --- 對合作社理念的不同詮釋 --- p.72 / 合作社的不同行動者 --- p.74 / 執委對合作社的理解 --- p.77 / 香港及本地職員：只是執行者？ --- p.85 / 女工：合作社的主體？ --- p.94 / 小結 --- p.110 / Chapter 第五章 --- 操作中的權力關係 --- p.112 / 日常運作中的權力地圖 --- p.113 / 特殊事件 --- p.127 / 小結 --- p.133 / Chapter 第六章 --- 結語 --- p.135 / 聆聽多元的聲音及經驗 --- p.136 / 處理權力關係中的不平等 --- p.138 / 另類發展的終極目標：充權 --- p.140 / 外來組織者在中國開展另類發展 --- p.143 / 參考文獻 --- p.145

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

This publication is not intended to be a scientific study and in fact does not pretend to be as such. It merely poses various perspectives and issues that reflect on the development and growth of the co-operative movement. A great deal of information grows out of personal and other experiences that have been shared at various levels, both individual, group, workshop/conferences and visits of actual co-operatives at work. The main people who have shared these experiences have helped, in one way or another to shape this publication. To them, and they know who they are, a very warm and special word of thanks. A particular note of appreciation for Sonja Sleigh and the members of the Peace Centre, who spent many hours in the typesetting and actual compilation of the publication. It is hoped that at the end of the day, that the questions and issues posed in this publication will serve towards enriching the growth process; the growth toward a richer and more human society.

The social and political effects of mass unemployment in South Africa mean there is an urgent need for strategies of job- creation. In this context, the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu), the South African Youth Congress (SAYCO), and the National Unemployed Workers' Co-ordinating Committee (NUWCC) have all expressed support for producer co-operatives, which are not only seen to have the potential to create jobs, but at the same time, are seen as providing a democratic alternative to capitalist enterprises. Thus firstly, this dissertation is exploring the potential for producer co-ops to fulfil these roles. However, for co-ops to make any contribution at all, they have to be economically viable. Thus this dissertation also attempts to analyse the terms on which this may be possible. In Chapter One, I analyse the roots of mass unemployment in South Africa, locate the problem and its effects within the framework of the current economic and political crisis, and analyse state strategies for overcoming this problem. I then turn to analysing the social and psychological effects of unemployment, and the implications of this for the growth of democratic organisation in the factories and township communities. I look at the strategies emerging for organising the unemployed, and conclude that the potential to organise the unemployed hinges largely around the extent to which unemployed workers' organisation manages to create jobs. In this regard, co-ops are a strategy of job creation that allows the unemployed to take the initiative in creating their own jobs, and on terms that build different forms of work organisation. On the basis of the priorities defined by the NUWCC, I then turn to analysing the limits and possibilities of co-op production. In Chapter Two, I address the theoretical issues that have emerged in relation to co-ops in capitalist society internationally, and attempt to analyse the reasons for their widespread economic failure, and for their tendency to degenerate into capitalist enterprises. From this, I draw out the potential terms on which collapse and/or degeneration can be countered, and refer to Mondragon in Spain and Lega in Italy as case studies. I then look at the potential political role co-ops can play, and conclude this chapter by focussing the issues discussed onto South African questions. In Chapter Three, I attempt a typology of co-op development in South Africa today, highlighting the extent to which a broad range of social forces see co-ops serving their own interests. Then, on the basis of a list of production co-ops in Addendum A, I analyse some of the overall features of the democratic co-ops that do exist at present, and point to the existence of degenerative tendencies in the South African context, with specific reference to Thusanang. I then focus on three case studies - the Pfananani co-ops, a carpentry co-op, and Nonthutuzelo. Each of these co-ops has arisen under different conditions, and they illustrate different aspects of the issues co-ops in SA will have to address if they are to survive. Chapter Four focusses on the production co-ops of the Sarmcol Workers Co-op (SAWCO), particularly the t-shirt co-op. The analysis of SAWCO constitutes the main case study of this dissertation. I have prioritised SAWCO because at the time I began the research, it was the only co-op with structural links to a Cosatu union; it is a co-op that arose out of the context of a workers' struggle, and contains important lessons for the establishment of co-ops with a clear relationship to democratic organisation. Furthermore, it relies on the 'solidarity' market to sell its products, and highlights certain important features and contradictions within this market. Finally, it highlights key issues in relation to the structures of ownership and control in democratic co-ops. In my conclusion, I attempt to draw together the material in the dissertation as a whole. I apply the theoretical discussion to the South African context, assess the implications of the nature of SA's economy for the development of co-ops, and attempt to provide some pointers to the terms on which democratic co-ops can be economically viable, thus creating jobs, at the same time as making a broader contribution to the extension of democracy in South Africa. / Labour studies research report (University of the Witwatersrand); v 4

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Many development organizations now recognize the importance of culturally sensitive project design and implementation. Unfortunately most of these groups continue to disregard the significance of gender. This qualitative research examines a women's cooperative in rural El Salvador which formed in order to find a means of generating income and to improve the general status of women in this region. One purpose of this qualitative research was to investigate what, if any, economic and social benefits the cooperative members received through their involvement. Another purpose was to analyze the models of development employed by the agencies involved in implementing four cooperative projects, as well as the member's attitudes toward those projects. Data presented in this thesis was collected during a fifteen-month period in 1994 and 1995, and a one-month period in 1998. Twenty-six cooperative members were interviewed in 1998. The four projects investigated include cows and nutrition, land and reforestation, artisan crafts and corn mills. These findings indicate that the empowerment model of development, in which self-reliance is maintained and strategic gender needs are met through mobilizing around practical gender needs, is the most successful. Focusing on local knowledge and preserving the agency of the target population are critical to project success. The findings also show that social power is attained by many women in the cooperative as increased self-esteem and involvement lead to gaining a legitimate voice in community affairs. Economic power, however, is only achieved by maintaining a paid leadership position within the cooperative. This research makes recommendations centered on improved access to credit. / Graduation date: 2001

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Hamburg, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 276-311).