Co-operative Governance and the Public Interest: Between Control and Autonomy
Governans Koperasi dan Kepentingan Awam: Antara Kawalan dan Autonomi

Faculty of Economics and Management
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, MALAYSIA.

norman@ukm.edu.my

Faculty of Economics and Management
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, MALAYSIA.

adibz@ukm.edu.my

Abstract

Co-operatives are jointly owned by their member-users, who also democratically control the enterprise. In turn, all members share the benefits of co-operatives. Thus far, not much is understood about the role of the regulator vis-à-vis the co-operative board in the governance of the claimed, social enterprise. The objectives of this study are to evaluate co-operative governance from the public interest perspective and provide narratives of the nature of governance practices for accountability of Malaysian co-operatives. This study adapts a public interest view borrowed from the political theory framework as proposed by Cochran (1974) for the evaluation of governance practices in relation to cooperatives’ accountability. Data was collected through in-depth interviews. The framework suggests co-operatives follow a consensualist view, responsible to the specific community or members they serve, which demands a certain degree of autonomy to operate effectively. The description of the nature of control over co-operatives and the public’s interest in co-operatives that this study provides, recommends control by regulators is, to a certain extent, needed in order for cooperatives to be effective in discharging their accountabilities as there are a lack of members’ activism and co-operative board competency inherent the industry in Malaysia.

Keywords

accountability; autonomy; Co-operative governance; public interest
https://doi.org/10.17576/pengurusan-2018-51-18

Citation

Mohd. Saleh, N., & Hamzah, N. (2017). Co-operative Governance and the Public Interest: Between Control and Autonomy. Jurnal Pengurusan, 51, 209–224. https://doi.org/10.17576/pengurusan-2018-51-18

@article{saleh2017co-operative,
  title={Co-operative Governance and the Public Interest: Between Control and Autonomy},
  author={Mohd. Saleh, Norman and Hamzah, Noradiva},
  journal={Jurnal Pengurusan},
 

volume={51},
  number={},
  pages={209—224},
  year={2017},
  doi={https://doi.org/10.17576/pengurusan-2018-51-18},
  publisher={Penerbit UKM},
}

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51 (2017) 209 – 224

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