Cooperative law reform and the global economic crisis: how innovative public policies can guide us through market booms and busts
Subject
Abstract
The concept of regulation is seldom a priority during times of economic prosperity. It is when credit markets dry up, unemployment rises, and businesses close that the public starts to understand the need for increased regulation. For those within the cooperative movement, however, regulations, and the burdens imposed by inadequate and overreaching laws, are a constant barrier to competing with traditional companies in a market environment. Another barrier, education about the cooperative model, can often present a problem as cooperatives tend to be less well-known organizational structures.