The Apna Bazar Cooperative

Abstract

When debate on economic policy in the Third World countries like India is confined to ways of privatization and its critique, it is useful to document and highlight other forms of economic organization. Notionally, a cooperative is an alternate form of economic organization, but it is not discussed frequently in public debate or economic theory texts. One reason for this could be that at least in India, largely, cooperatives have a public image of either being a sham or being government–managed. The present study is part of an endeavour to critically examine this image and has led to documentation of some self–reliant, real cooperatives of long standing in a variety of settings. This is a case study of a 58 year old, self–reliant and member controlled consumer cooperative. Besides checking on its cooperative and self–reliant character, its structure and processes have also been documented in some detail to aid in its replication. This process has led to a more critical reading.