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Examining Economies of Scale for Farmer Cooperatives in China’s Shanxi Province

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  • Liu, Jing
  • Bailey, DeeVon

Abstract

China’s new cooperatives law took effect in 2007 and resulted in rapid growth in the number of agricultural cooperatives in China. This raises questions about appropriate strategies for growth such as whether or not cooperatives experience economies of scale as they grow. This study examines economies of scale in farmer cooperatives in Shanxi Province; the province that had the fastest growth in the number of agricultural cooperatives in China during 2008-2010. The results indicate that all cooperatives in the sample grew rapidly in their number of members and value of assets between 2008 and 2010. Large cooperatives are found to have an advantage over small cooperatives in terms of economies of scale. The results indicate that when a strategy couples growth with specialization it tends to improve the competitive position of these cooperatives.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Jing & Bailey, DeeVon, 2013. "Examining Economies of Scale for Farmer Cooperatives in China’s Shanxi Province," Journal of Rural Cooperation, Hebrew University, Center for Agricultural Economic Research, vol. 41(2), pages 1-30.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:jlorco:249621
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.249621
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    1. Anne Musson & Damien Rousselière, 2020. "Exploring the effect of crisis on cooperatives: a Bayesian performance analysis of French craftsmen cooperatives," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(25), pages 2657-2678, May.
    2. Xinru Miao & Shaopeng Wang & Jiqin Han & Zhaoyi Ren & Teng Ma & Henglang Xie, 2024. "The Regional Heterogeneity of the Impact of Agricultural Market Integration on Regional Economic Development: An Analysis of Pre-COVID-19 Data in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-33, February.

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