Cooperative developmenthase

This study should be seen against the background of the history of co operatives in India. Krishan Taimni is in an eminently good position to review the different stages of this development, having been associated with co-operatives for a long time, mainly as an educator and trainer. He puts his finger on the weaknesses of the co-operatives and their structures in his country, but at the same time outlines strategies and scenarios for their further development. Co-operatives are facing major challenges and have to change if they are to become real instruments of their members in their endeavours to improve their economic and social situation through mutual self-help. Big tasks are lying ahead for all those responsible for the development of genuine co-operative societies. This study lists the things which need to be done to achieve this goal.

In India, the Government has always played a dominating role vis-a vis the co-operatives and their organisations. This was not always for the best of their evolution as autonomous and self-managed institutions. While under the prevailing conditions assistance and help might have been unavoidable and indeed welcome and necessary, the active involve ment of the state and its administration in co-operative development may to a certain extent have been a reason for the frequent alienation of the members from their societies. These and many other important issues are discussed in the present book. Several case studies illustrate the problems faced by co-operatives but show also the solutions which have been found to overcome them.

The chapter on productivity and technology transfer in the co operative context raises questions of particular importance since the efficiency and effectiveness with which co-operatives work for the benefit of their members will eventually determine their fate.

All in all, the book has been written on the basis of an intimate knowledge of the Indian co-operative scene. It is the result of a long professional association with the building up a co-operative structure. It contains certainly many lessons of the "do's" and "don'ts" for anyone who is concerned with developing genuine co-operatives. As already in his book "Managing the Co-operative Enterprise", he puts the human resources development aspect into the centre of his preoccupations. Taimni has very successfully worked with the ILO programme Materials and Techniques for Co-operative Management Training (MATCOM) in India and elsewhere and also served in an expert capacity in an ILO co operative management project in Indonesia.