The Organizational, Financial and Ownership Characteristics of US Agricultural Cooperatives: Survey Results from a New Institutional Economics Perspective

Authors:
T. Theurl
E. Christian
Dr Constantine Iliopoulos
Type: Book
Journal title: Strategies for Cooperation
Year of publication: 2005
Source: AGRERI
Subject:
economics
agricultural economics
cooperatives
agribusiness and cooperatives
Description:

This paper provides a detailed profile of traditional and new generation US agricultural cooperatives.  Based on a recent, unique survey of the Chief Executive Officers and other key top management personnel we describe the major organizational, financial, and ownership characteristics of the top 100 US agricultural cooperatives in terms of operating revenues.  The quantitative and qualitative data obtained through a mail survey is clustered into five types: (i) information on the property rights structure adopted, (ii) financial information on equity acquisition methods, equity redemption plans, R&D investment, and investment in intangible assets, (iii) organizational design information, (iv) information on members’ and Board of Directors’ behavior, and (v) information on top management behavior and perception of critical issues.  We report both descriptive and inferential statistics.  The results suggest that, unlike new generation cooperatives, traditional US agricultural cooperatives have adopted organizational structures that may constrain them in ameliorating their free rider, horizon, and portfolio problems.

 

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