Challenges of Voluntary Cooperation after Forced Cooperation: Case of Agricultural Cooperatives in Armenia and Serbia

TOPIC 4 – STAGE 1 – MACRO During the last years the rapid development of cooperatives and evolution in their diversity comes to prove that these institutions are an integral part of economy and have their own unique... [ view full abstract ]

TOPIC 4 – STAGE 1 – MACRO
During the last years the rapid development of cooperatives and evolution in their diversity comes to prove that these institutions are an integral part of economy and have their own unique niche. Cooperatives emerge where development is an issue and where the bottom up approach works the best. The problems that cooperatives solve are multidimensional they include not only economic aspects such as regional development, specialization and employment, but more importantly being inclusive in their nature and uniting different groups of society the cooperatives contribute to the overall social progress. In this context the role of cooperatives are irreplaceable for the economies of developing countries characterized by poverty, unemployment and social exclusion.
This paper focuses on the examples of agricultural cooperatives in Armenia and Serbia. These two countries are of particular interest because of the similarities and the differences both share. Both countries experienced forced collectivization during the raise of socialistic Armenia (1920s) and Yugoslavia (1942) and though the future developments were different the concept of “communist legacy” is still relevant in these countries. By examining various factors we will improve the understanding of those factors that have stronger impact on the initial stage of cooperative formation.
Data has been collected via expert interviews and literature review during the secondment period spent in Serbia in the scope of “International Research Exchange on Cooperatives” (INT.RE.COOP) project.