Recent Developments in the Theory of Agricultural Cooperation

North American agricultural economists are beginning to reexamine fundamental issues in the theory of agricultural cooperation. Since 1980, a number of researchers have explored the basic nature of farmer cooperation; the theoretical benefits and limits to cooperative enterprise; and the implications of these for cooperative members, managers, and public policy. This paper describes and evaluates recent theoretical developments, outlines remaining areas of conflict and gaps in the theory of agricultural cooperation, and discusses topics for future research. It concludes that the most promising area for current research may be in testing hypotheses arising from recent theoretical work