The imbalances in bargaining power between the contracting parties in the food supply chain have drawn much attention, also from policy makers. The European Commission is committed to facilitate the restructuring of the sector by encouraging the creation of voluntary agricultural producer...

The imbalances in bargaining power between the contracting parties in the food supply chain have drawn much attention, also from policy makers. The European Commission is committed to facilitate the restructuring of the sector by encouraging the creation of voluntary agricultural producer...

Abstract Rural development has significantly benefited from intensifying relations between the government and third sector organizations (TSOs) during the last several decades. TSOs can induce innovation in rural development in a variety of ways including advocacy, awareness raising,...

Third sector organizations play a prominent role in rural development. Yet, such organizations have been largely neglected by existing economic research. This paper examines the potential role of standard theories of the third sector and collective action in explaining the motivations to form...

This paper compares the new institutional economics literature on agricultural cooperatives to their actual operation in Greece. The key contrast thus revealed concerns the role of opportunism. New institutional economics explains cooperatives in terms of their ability to combat external...

Rural development has significantly benefited from intensifying relations between the government and third sector organizations (TSOs) during last several decades. TSOs can introduce innovation in rural development in numerous ways: advocacy, awareness raising, contracting, direct delivery of...

This paper explores the cross-fertilization potential that exists between the economic theory of agricultural cooperatives and that of nonprofit organizations. A number of central ideas in the agricultural cooperative theory are shown to generate two novel insights pertaining to the nonprofit...

This article addresses the influence costs problem in the governance structure agribusiness cooperative. Influence costs are higher in cooperatives than in investor-oriented firms due to the unique governance structure of the former. Hypotheses are formulated and tested regarding the...

Following European Directive 2003/30/EC, the Greek Government adapted legislation that introduces and regulates the bio diesel market. The implemented quota scheme allocates the country’s annual, predetermined, tax exempt production of bio diesel to industries based on their ability to meet...