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Alchian And Demsetz'S Critique Of The Cooperative Firm Thirty‐Seven Years After

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  • Bruno Jossa

Abstract

The author discusses the critique of cooperatives implied in Alchian and Demsetz's argument that efficiency is maximized when the central agent managing the firm and watching the labour force at work is the residual claimant. Entering upon a number of criticisms that Alchian and Demsetz's approach attracted over the years, he concludes that their critique does not hold, and his basic argument is that cooperative firms vesting the monitoring function in elected managers will not be less efficient than capitalistic firms in the same situation.

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  • Bruno Jossa, 2009. "Alchian And Demsetz'S Critique Of The Cooperative Firm Thirty‐Seven Years After," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(4), pages 686-714, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:metroe:v:60:y:2009:i:4:p:686-714
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-999X.2009.04070.x
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    Cited by:

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    2. Franck Bailly & Karine Chapelle & Lionel Prouteau, 2017. "What are the determinants of the pay gap between conventional firms and cooperatives? Evidence from France," Working Papers hal-01455741, HAL.
    3. Paul Walker, 2016. "Simple Models of a Human-Capital-Based Firm: a Reference Point Approach," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 7(1), pages 219-247, March.

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