Thesis
Study of the efficiency of labor-managed firms vs. capital-managed firms in the case of agricultural production: A stochastic analysis
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000004131
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/125211
Abstract
The main purpose of this work is to compare the relative technical, economic and allocative efficiency of the labor-managed firm model with that of the capital-managed firm in the case of agricultural production. This work also aims to investigate sources of inefficiency and evaluate the sources contributing to the efficiency of the firm. Through a comparative review of the theory of the firm, the behavior of producer cooperatives is distinguished from that of the private corporations. In light of the theory's predictions hypotheses enabling the evaluation of the comparative efficiency of both types of firm were formulated and appropriate estimation methods mainly a stochastic production and cost frontier analysis was employed in the aim of solving controversial questions involving the Tunisian public view, academics and policy makers: Which structure uses more efficiently the public farming land, cooperatives or private corporations? Which category of size is more appropriate, large or small holding areas? Which production model contributes to the triple bottom line of sustainability and could be qualified as sustainable? The results confirm that cooperatives (COOPs) as participatory structures continue to be more efficient than their conventional twins- the capital managed corporations (CORPs) and the inverse relationship between size and efficiency within cooperatives and corporations has also been verified. The findings highlight the positive effect of the participatory decision making process on the economic success of the firm. Moreover, results have shown that cooperative structures produce more, hire more labor, better value the use of resources and have a greater social and environmental impact than their capital-managed counterparts.
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Details
- Title
- Study of the efficiency of labor-managed firms vs. capital-managed firms in the case of agricultural production
- Creators
- Thaweb Maamri
- Contributors
- Jill J McCluskey (Advisor) - Washington State University, Economic Sciences, School of
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Economic Sciences, School of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Identifiers
- 99900890781701842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis