Co-operative values beyond hybridity: The case of farmers’ organisations in the Swiss dairy sector

Forney, Jérémie; Häberli, Isabel

doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.04.003

Cited by 36 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The authors also approached how medium-sized dairy cooperatives may support a regional farming model through specialization in added value productions (Heidkamp and Morrissey, 2018). A lot of research articles focus on the evaluation of the sustainability of cooperative models, including on social aspects (Venn et al, 2006;Ortmann and King, 2007;Forney and Häberli, 2017;Bijman and Wijers, 2019;Marcis et al, 2019). Bijman and Wijers (2019) address the question of the inclusiveness of agricultural cooperatives toward smallholder farmers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bijman and Wijers (2019) address the question of the inclusiveness of agricultural cooperatives toward smallholder farmers. Forney and Häberli (2017) analyze the enactment of cooperative values of democracy, solidarity, and autonomy, in the context of the above-described cooperative model shifts. Forney and Häberli (2017) partially hint at the possible coexistence of various cooperative models by stressing that interdependency between different cooperative models may be successfully grounded in balanced economic relations and a shared enactment of cooperative values.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Forney and Häberli (2017) analyze the enactment of cooperative values of democracy, solidarity, and autonomy, in the context of the above-described cooperative model shifts. Forney and Häberli (2017) partially hint at the possible coexistence of various cooperative models by stressing that interdependency between different cooperative models may be successfully grounded in balanced economic relations and a shared enactment of cooperative values. However, we only found one example (Alavoine-Mornas and Madelrieux, 2015) considering the coexistence of cooperatives of different nature as a pathway toward an increased sustainability of the agro-food landscape.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coexistence of Cooperative Models as Structural Answer to Lock-Ins in Diversification Pathways: The Case of the Walloon Dairy Sector

Herde

Baret

Maréchal

2020

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Drawing on an analysis of the Walloon dairy sector, this paper aims at bringing novel insights on the coexistence issue in agrifood transition studies. Whereas most studies explore the coexistence of farm models, our study focuses on value chains, in particular on cooperatives. In the Walloon Region, new dairy cooperatives emerged, as substitute or as complement to the incumbent vertically integrated dairy cooperatives. This paper focuses on the coexistence of dairy cooperative models as enabler of transition toward product diversification. Dairy cooperatives are hybrid actors: economic agents on the market on the one hand, structure of collective agency on the other hand. Williamson's framework of New Institutional Economics acknowledges that the allocation of resources by cooperatives depends on governance processes and on the wider institutional context in which the cooperatives evolve. Within the broader frame of the Multi-Level Perspective, this approach allows to consider the socio-technical coherence in which the cooperatives evolve, the effects of this coherence on their pathways of development, and the complementarity of the cooperative models. This qualitative analysis builds on semi-directed interviews with actors of the Walloon dairy sector. The results outline distinctions between the new cooperative models and mainstream dairy cooperatives in market approach, definition of milk quality, distribution of added value, governance, and interactions with partners. Both models evolve within a distinct socio-technical coherence, holding, in the case of the mainstream dairy cooperatives, lock-ins to diversification related to the relationship with the farmer-members and the milk they produce in the industrial vertically integrated model. The new cooperative models circumvent these lock-ins through de-integration and externalization of initiatives, remuneration, and risk. They allow specific groups of actors—still related or unrelated to the mainstream dairy cooperative—to explore new market pathways in accordance with their potential, and to mutually agree on criteria qualifying milk. This research draws the picture of a possible reconfiguration of the dairy landscape toward a more diversified ecosystem of actors and invites to consider structures of governance in collective action as a cornerstone issue, because of their significant role in terms of enablement, coexistence, and complementarity throughout the transition process.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coexistence of Cooperative Models as Structural Answer to Lock-Ins in Diversification Pathways: The Case of the Walloon Dairy Sector

Herde

Baret

Maréchal

2020

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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“…The unquestioning use of accounting and reporting standards reflecting those of IOFs merely bolsters isomorphic tendencies [11], to the detriment of the social-membership perspective [29,30]. Of course, this might be predisposed by the underlying trend of 'professionalization' or 'corporatization' [31,32], which undermines the specificities of cooperative organizations [33,34], and time and again raises identity or even mission drift concerns [35][36][37]. Besides, mainstream management research has called for appropriately aligning the measurement of organizational performance with the research contexts in question along a more human-centered approach [16,38].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Harnessing a ‘Currency Matrix’ for Performance Measurement in Cooperatives: A Multi-Phased Study

et al. 2018

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The cooperative organizational form is by nature a sustainable one, which has proved to be resilient in the face of crises and a solid lever in addressing present-day societal challenges. Still, little is known about its socio-economic impact. Also, despite the plethora of studies on cooperative performance, research remains inconclusive about how to best measure it. In fact, scholarly work has largely favored the use of appraisal tools reflecting those of investor-owned firms (IOFs), having undermined the dual idiosyncratic nature of the cooperative organizational form, which is manifest in the business and social-membership objectives. The goal of this article is to fill these gaps by delivering a comprehensive dashboard for cooperative performance assessment that harmonizes business–social aspects and catalogs the basic components for future attempts. To reach this goal, we used an extensive review of empirical research in cooperative performance (phase 1) and a Delphi study with 14 experts (phase 2). In addition, we reviewed comparable research efforts for a business form (social enterprises) that combines business with social goals and faces similar challenges (phase 3). This inquiry was particularly insightful for the social perspective and the overlooked role of cooperatives as a socially-embedded organizational form that hardly documents its societal impact and outreach.

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“…The unquestioning use of accounting and reporting standards reflecting those of IOFs merely bolsters isomorphic tendencies (Brown and Novkovic, 2015), to the detriment of the social-membership perspective (Bhuyan, 2007;Kalogeras et al, 2009). Of course, this might be predisposed by the underlying trend of 'professionalization' or 'corporatization' (Forney and Häberli, 2017;Hanisch et al, 2013), which undermines the specificities of co-op organizations Nilsson et al, 2012), and time and again raises identity or even mission drift concerns (Foreman and Whetten, 2002;Novkovic, 2008;Puusa et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Essays on co-operatives’ idiosyncrasies : structure, performance, and membership

Benos¹

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Co-operative values beyond hybridity: The case of farmers’ organisations in the Swiss dairy sector

Cited by 36 publications

References 19 publications

Coexistence of Cooperative Models as Structural Answer to Lock-Ins in Diversification Pathways: The Case of the Walloon Dairy Sector

Coexistence of Cooperative Models as Structural Answer to Lock-Ins in Diversification Pathways: The Case of the Walloon Dairy Sector

Harnessing a ‘Currency Matrix’ for Performance Measurement in Cooperatives: A Multi-Phased Study

Essays on co-operatives’ idiosyncrasies : structure, performance, and membership

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