Cooperatives: Pathways to Economic, Democratic and Social
Development in the Global Economy  Cooperatives: Pathways to
Economic, Democratic and Social Development in the Global
EconomyThroughout the developed world, cooperatives have been,
and continue to be, a significant economic force. In many
countries, co-ops are among the largest major enterprises in
diverse fields of agricultural marketing, savings and credit,
rural electricity, insurance, information/communications
technologies and housing. In developing countries results have
been mixed, particularly where cooperatives have operated in
extremely challenging environments, been instruments of the
state or have been unable to rapidly gain scale through
interlocking co-op networks.  In some development circles,
cooperatives have suffered from a negative legacy, the result of
having operated in the face of obstacles such as tight control
by repressive governments, inappropriate policy environments,
flawed markets for products and difficulty emerging from