Agricultural cooperatives as economic crisis-absorbers: the role of cooperative ownership and governance

Greece is now experiencing one of its most severe economic crises after the Second World War. A non-negligible percentage of urban population is moving to rural areas in order to make a living out of farming and related activities. The new rural inhabitants realize that they are faced with challenges related to the state of rural infrastructure as well as to the operation of agricultural markets. Agricultural cooperatives, which had a turbulent history in Greece, potentially play a major role in addressing these challenges. However, the ability of agricultural cooperatives to do so crucially depends on their ownership structures and governance practices. Against this background, the present project explores the way in which the ownership structures and governance practices of Greek agricultural cooperatives influence their crisis-absorbing capacity. The methodological approaches include desktop research, case studies, and econometric methods.