Abstract

MELGAREJO-MOLINA, Zuray; VERA-COLINA, Mary A  and  MORA-RIAPIRA, Edwin H. The Survival of Associated Labor Cooperatives in Colombia: A Theoretical Approach. Innovar [online]. 2012, vol.22, n.45, pp.5-16. ISSN 0121-5051.

This work aims at a critical assessment of the survival potential of the Associated Labor Cooperatives (Cooperativas de Trabajo Asociado - CTA) in Colombia compared to the Business Associations (Sociedades Mercantiles - SMERC), placing particular emphasis on the capital ownership structure. Some of the literature suggests that the CTA have greater probabilities of survival than other types of companies because they offer greater stability in employment while providing greater incentives to their workers through their participation in the decision-making process. However, other theorists argue that the CTA are inefficient because of free-rider problems, because they have serious agent-principal type problems and because of degeneration due to their revenue-seeking behavior, which gives them a lower probability of survival. To carry out this work, information was compiled on the CTAs from the database of the Superintendent of the Solidarity-Based Economy (Superintendencia de Economía Solidaria). The results of this assessment show a lack of correlation between many of the postulates proposed by economic theory and the positive development of CTAs in Colombia.

Keywords : Associated Labor Cooperatives; capital ownership structure; economic behavior; survival.

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