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Abstract
This study concerns the political, economic and socio-psychological
conditions for marketing and supply cooperatives in Russian agriculture. An
analysis of secondary data indicates that neither political nor economic
conditions inhibit the development of cooperatives. Therefore, the focus is
directed towards the socio-psychological factors. The aim of the study is to
empirically explore the extent to which socio-psychological factors explain
the difficulties for agricultural cooperative development within the Kurgan
region of the Russian Federation. Based on literature concerning cooperative
members’ attitudes, values, commitment and similar variables, four
hypotheses are suggested. These are tested empirically on the basis of data
from a total of 927 agricultural producers, both members and nonmembers
of existing cooperatives. The findings reveal that especially the level of trust
in others is crucial. Furthermore, the involvement is low among nonmembers,
their attitudes to cooperatives are poor, and their belief and
experience in democratic governance are weak.