Cooperatives and Local Development

Christopher D. Merrett is an associate professor of geography at the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs and the Department of Geography at Western Illinois University. He researches local responses to globalization, with a specific focus on co-ops and cooperative development. He has written two books, many journal articles, and numerous reports examining the effectiveness of New Generation Cooperatives as a tool for local community development. Most recently, he has written on social justice issues. Norman Walzer is a professor of economics and founding director of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University. He has published extensively on rural community and economic development, local public finance, and Brownfields issues. His most recent work has been on New Generation Cooperatives as an economic development policy. He serves on many boards and commissions and works with local and state agencies on a variety of rural development issues.

List of Tables, Figures, and Boxes, Preface, 1. Introduction: Cooperative Theory and Its Applications for the Twenty-First Century, Part I. Understanding Cooperative Theory, 2. History of Cooperatives, 3. The Evolution of the Cooperative Model, 4. Obstacles to Cooperation, Part II. Public Policy Issues, 5. Legal Framework of Cooperative Development, 6. Finance and Taxation, Part III. Management Issues, 7. Understanding Cooperative Behavior: The Prisoners' Dilemma Approach, 8. Creating Value in a Knowledge-based Agriculture: A Theory of New Generation Cooperatives, Part IV. Cooperatives in Economic Development, 9. The Challenges Facing Cooperative Marketers and Bargaining Cooperatives in Today's Food System, 10. Producer Marketing Through Cooperatives, 11. Measuring the Economic Impact of Producer Cooperatives, Part V. Cooperatives in Community Development, 12. Consumer Ownership in Capitalist Economies: Applications of Theory to Consumer Cooperation, 13. The Business of Relationships, About the Contributors, Index