The Influence of Co-operatives on the Regional and local Development of the Sisak-Moslavina County

Objekt istraživanja ovog rada su zadruge, prvenstveno poljoprivredne, na području Sisačko-moslavačke županije. Temeljna pretpostavka jest da se osnivanjem raznovrsnih zadruga, posebno u slabije razvijenim dijelovima Hrvatske, može ostvariti rast gospodarstva i životnog standarda, a pozitivno bi utjecale i na demografsku obnovu naše zemlje. Pri izradi rada korištene su metode intervjuiranja, anketiranja i terenskog rada. Razgovor/intervju obavljen je s djelatnicom Hrvatskog saveza zadruga, upitnici su poslani na 23 internet ili poštanske adrese (pristiglo je 14 odgovora), a terenski rad je odrađen na području Grada Petrinje i općine Velika Ludina. Rezultati upućuju da uloga sadašnjih zadruga u razvoju istraživanog područja nije presudna, no ipak one djeluju pozitivno na gospodarstvo i demografski razvoj područja u kojem se nalaze. Zadrugarstvo bi moglo pomoći u ponovnom oživljavanju gospodarstva Sisačko-moslavačke županije i uopće biti od velike pomoći u obnovi i razvoju ratom zahvaćenog područja. Ipak to najviše ovisi o stavu domaćeg stanovništva prema zadrugarstvu.This report dealt with co-operatives, primarily agricultural ones, in the Sisak-Moslavina County. The basic assumption is that founding different co-operatives, especially in the under-developed parts of Croatia, can affect the economic growth of the region. Consequently it could increase the living standard and influence positively on the demographic recovery of our country. While working on this report the methods of field interviewing and the Internet questionnaires were used. An employee of the Croatian Co-operative Alliance has been interviewed, while the questionnaires have been sent to 23 different addresses (both the Internet and the usual ones). There were 14 responses. Field work was done in the area of the town Petrinja and Velika Ludina region. The survey shows that the role of the existing co-operatives is not so essential for the development of the surveyed area. In spite of these facts they positively influence the economic and demographic development of the area where they are placed. To conclude, co-operatives could help in the economic turn off of the Sisak-Moslavina County, thus helping in the renewal and development of the area devastated in the recent war. But in the end their further development will depend on the local community attitude towards this issue