Cooperatives: Principles and Practices in the 21st Century
This publication is the fourth and most extensive revision of the Marvin A. Schaars’ text, Cooperatives, Principles and Practices, University of Wisconsin Extension—Madison, Publication A1457, July 1980. What has come to be known simply as “the Schaars book,”was originally written in 1936 by Chris L. Christensen, Asher Hobson, Henry Bakken, R.K. Froker, and Marvin Schaars, all faculty in the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Wisconsin—Madison. Since its first publication, the Schaars book has served as a basic reference for cooperative members and leaders, cooperative instructors and development specialists, and students of cooperatives throughout the United States and world. It has been translated into several languages.
Its straightforward, basic information on the organization, structure, financing, and management of cooperatives is as needed and relevant today as ever. The revisions in this version, which reflect over two decades of learning about cooperative development as well as new cooperative laws and ways of doing business, will hopefully make it even more useful. Although it focuses on cooperative businesses in the United States, and draws most of its references from the agricultural sector, most of the book’s content is pertinent to cooperatives anywhere, in any sector.