Law and Peace: Contracts and the Success of the Danish Dairy Cooperatives

Ingrid Henriksen, Morten Hviid , Paul Richard Sharp

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Abstract

We consider the successful early emergence of cooperative creameries in Denmark in the late nineteenth century within the framework of the ‘new institutional economics’ presented by Williamson (2000). Previous work has focused on the social cohesion of the Danes, but we demonstrate that this was not sufficient for the success. The Danish legal system, which we compare to that of other countries, was also of crucial importance, along with the way in which rules were monitored and enforced. Of particular importance was the Danish cooperatives’ use of contracts, which we explore with evidence from a variety of primary and secondary sources.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
UdgiverDepartment of Economics, University of Copenhagen
Antal sider32
StatusUdgivet - 2011

Emneord

  • Det Samfundsvidenskabelige Fakultet
  • creameries
  • new institutional economics

Citationsformater