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Who's Afraid of Leadership?

In the flat organisational structures found in worker co-operatives leadership can be distributed, where authority is delegated to sub-groups, working parties or individuals. Those with delegated authority have autonomy and perform tasks however they see fit, as long as they understand how and when they will be held accountable to the wider membership.

A Letter to My Mutual Insurance Company

January 11, 2018

To Whom It May Concern,

As a policyholder of State Farm Mutual I am writing to request proxy form for the upcoming annual meeting. Please send one for me at the address below at your earliest convenience.

Corporate-run Ag Co-ops Squeezing Farmers

The independent New York State dairyman, who passed away last year, complained that Dairy Farmers of America used its control over local milk haulers to prevent him from doing business with anyone else. For Garrett Sitts, it was the abuse of food safety protocols.

A Community Currency in Rural Kenya

I am a French researcher involved in an MSc Agricultural Development at the University of Copenhagen. I am very interested in Community Currency, especially regarding their potential to foster sustainable agriculture, food security and endogenous development in developing countries.

Montana's First Co-op Brewery

About 12 miles south of Flathead Lake, the town of Ronan is a community based largely on agriculture. With several schools, banks, a golf course and an active business community, Ronan is home to an estimated 1,871 people (according to 2010 U.S. Census information.) But while it boasts a variety of businesses, including a telephone company, a movie theatre, a café, a thrift store, a bowling alley, hospital, and others, many Main Street storefronts remain empty or rundown. Roughly a third of Main Street buildings are vacant or in disrepair.

Wildlife cooperatives boost conservation and habitat

A wildlife cooperative gathers private landowners, hunters and wildlife enthusiasts to enhance their local wildlife and habitat. The participants share their wildlife experiences with each other, accumulate more knowledge of wildlife from activities,  improve relationships with neighbors and have a chance to use land management techniques on a bigger scale.

Currently, Michigan has 120 wildlife cooperatives, a number that has been increasing since 1991, according to the MUCC.

Co-operatives in South Africa and Beyond

The state of co-ops in South Africa has changed drastically since the early 1900s. Initially white agricultural co-ops received support from the state, both legislative and financial. The 1912 Land Settlement Act, 1913 and 1936 Land Acts, Co-operatives Societies Acts of 1922 and 1939 and many more all served to support these co-ops. Yet it is important to note that these co-ops did not adhere to the seven Principles of the International Co-operative Alliance and were mere extensions of successive white nationalist governments (The Department of Trade and Industry, 2012).

Wage inequality in workers' cooperatives and conventional firms

The author evaluates the effects of democratic worker participation on the income distribution within firms. Wage inequality in French workers’ cooperatives (called SCOPs) versus traditional firms is measured using the 2001-2012 panel DADS dataset which includes all French firms. The author finds significantly lower inequality in SCOPs, in line with the previous empirical literature.

Non-partisan group organizes meetings to find solutions to local problems

RONAN – People gathered to learn how to bring individuals with different points of view together on Tuesday evening in an effort to create positive outcomes for the community.

Mission Valley Rises: Democracy Engaged! hosted the event at the Ronan Senior Citizen Center. The group is centered on the idea that solutions to problems can be found if people with differing and similar opinions come together to find common goals.