ABSTRACT
Richard Williams surveys the history of the cooperative movement from its origins in the 18th century and deals with the theory of cooperation, as contrasted with the 'Standard Economic Model', based on competition. The book contains the results of field studies of a number of successful cooperatives both in the developed and developing world. It includes insights from personal interviews of cooperative members and concludes by considering the successes and challenges of the cooperative movement as an alternative to the global neo-colonialism and imperialism that now characterizes free-market capitalist approaches to globalization. The book considers democratic and local control of essential economic activities such as the production, distribution, and retailing of goods and services. It suggests that cooperative approaches to these economic activities are already reducing poverty and resulting in equitable distributions of wealth and income without plundering the resources of developing countries.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
chapter |6 pages
Introduction
part 1|74 pages
History and Theory of Cooperation
chapter 1|27 pages
History and Theory of the Cooperative Movement
chapter 2|20 pages
Comparing Cooperation, Competition, and Individual Effort
chapter 3|24 pages
The Standard Economic Model and Globalization
part 2|68 pages
Cooperative Case Studies
chapter 4|12 pages
Cooperation and Microfinance in Southeast Asia and Oceania
chapter 5|17 pages
The Cooperative Movement in India
chapter 6|12 pages
Mondragón: The Basque Cooperative Experience
chapter 7|14 pages
Cooperatives in Latin America
chapter 8|10 pages
Puerto Rico's Cooperative Effort
part 3|34 pages
Analysis and Implications for the Future