A Study of the Possibilities of Cooperatives in Sustainable Social Development -Case Studies of Cooperatives in the Province of Bohol, the Republic of the Philippines

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This research project aims to clarify the role of cooperatives in rural development, and the reason for their failure, through case studies realized in the Province of Bohol, the Philippines. Case studies are based on the combination of two different approaches : quantitative managerial research and qualitative extensive ethnographic research. The three-year project revealed following points.-Most of Boholano rural cooperatives focus on the credit activities. But most of them are facing to dissolution or to be inactive because of the lack of funding.-In reality, cooperative credit activities have a role to by-pass the governmental money to local people (members and staffs), but the people, regarding the cooperative resources as open-access resources, spend out the loan without paying back.-The people's behavior does not come from the lack of morality, but form lack of economic linkage between cooperative management strategy and people's household strategy. Their behavior pattern has its origin especially in their own property relatbns and social structure that are characteristic among the Malay people, with its history of even several centuries Historically, these people have not invested their money in the production, but spend it for their daily needs.-In this situation, cooperative movement based on the Western ideal is not always efficient for the purpose of poverty alleviation. We need a cooperative system with regard to the social nature of Southeastern Asia. In this respect, a key for an appropriate system is their resource control system.