Co-operatives & Rural Development

RD 206: Co-operatives & Rural Development (2 Credits: 45 Lect.; 30 Sem.; 0 Pract.)

Prerequisite: None

Content:
Co-operative principles, theories and practice: Definition of co-operative enterprises or Labour Managed Enterprises (LMEs) and their categorization (What are co-operatives, Types of co-operatives:-Industrial, Agricultural: marketing, producer, savings and credit, housing); A short history of the co-operative movement (Origination, Development); Co-operative principles (Voluntarism, Common bond, Democratic participation, Freedom from state intervention, Co-operative education to members, leaders and workers, Gradualism); Theories of producer co-operatives (Theory of economies of scale, Theory of achievement of equity objectives, Material and non-material incentives and the development and sustenance of agricultural producer co-operatives, Democratic control and the efficiency of the agricultural producer co-operative; Co-operative development in Tanzania: achievements and problems (Agricultural marketing co-operatives, 1920s-1976; 1982 to-date, Agricultural producer co-operatives (ujamaa production), 1967 – 1973; 1976 – 1992); A summary of major problems afflicting co-operatives in Tanzania and the way ahead.