ABSTRACT
Economic democratization would promote efficiency as well as justice, since dynamic enterprises require the mobilization of human skills and creativity. Cooperatives and similarvoluntary organizations could help repair the broken economies of eastern Europe and build more dynamic economies in the developing world. In some regions, cooperatives flourish, making substantial contributions to economic growth while providing benefits to their members and local communities. In the humid, densely-populated coastal regions, economic stratification tends to be more rigid and polarized, meaning that land is concentrated in fewer hands and that landless laborers and sharecroppers make up a larger share of the rural population. Marathas of all conditions, from small farmers to former aristocrats, are linked together through agnatic lineages, migration patterns, and economic mobility, as well as by political and cultural traditions. As with economic inequality, there may be a curvilinear relationship between social stratification and organizational performance. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
