Cover -- Title page -- Copyright -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgment -- Introduction -- Part 1: Why cooperatives? The rationale for cooperative law -- 1. GENERAL -- 2. THE EVOLUTION OF COOPERATIVE LAW: FROM THE DISTINCTION OF ENTERPRISE TYPES TO THEIR ISOMORPHIZATION -- 3. THE VIABILITY OF COOPERATIVES IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY AND LEGAL POLICY ISSUES -- 3.1 Globalization -- 3.2 Sustainable development -- 3.2.1 Economic security -- 3.2.3 Social justice -- 3.2.4 Political stability -- 4. CONCLUSION OF PART 1 -- Part 2: What are cooperatives? Why legislate on cooperatives? What kind of cooperative law? -- 1. GENERAL -- 2. WHAT ARE COOPERATIVES? -- 2.1 Cooperatives and social economy enterprises -- 2.1.1 "For profit" or "not for profit" -- 2.1.2 Mode of profit distribution -- 2.1.3 Ownership of assets -- 2.1.4 Capitalization -- 2.1.5 Examples of social economy actors -- 2.2 Distinction between cooperatives and stock companies -- 3. WHY LEGISLATE ON COOPERATIVES? -- 3.1 General -- 3.2 Informality and cooperative law -- 4. WHAT KIND OF COOPERATIVE LAW? -- 4.1 The wider legal framework -- 4.2 Cooperative values and principles -- 4.3 Scope of the cooperative law -- 4.4 Nature of the cooperative law -- Part 3: An ABC of a cooperative law -- 1. PREAMBLE -- 2. GENERAL PROVISIONS -- 2.1 Definition of terms used in the law -- 2.2 Application of other norms -- 2.3 Definition of cooperatives: Field of application of the law -- 2.4 Cooperative principles -- 3. FORMATION OF COOPERATIVES -- 3.1 Registration -- 3.2 Types of registration -- 3.3 Registration authority -- 3.4 Registration procedure -- 3.5 Nature and effects of the registration -- 4. MEMBERSHIP -- 4.1 Membership qualifications -- 4.2 Restrictions concerning age -- 4.3 Minimum number of members in primary cooperatives -- 4.4 Maximum number of members in primary cooperatives.

4.5 Admission of members -- 4.6 Resignation/withdrawal -- 4.7 Exclusion and suspension -- 4.8 Obligations and rights of members -- 4.9 Provisions relating to member employees -- 5. ORGANS/BODIES AND MANAGEMENT -- 5.1 Principles -- 5.2 General assembly -- 5.3 Board of directors -- 5.4 Supervisory council -- 6. CAPITAL FORMATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS -- 6.1 Financial resources -- 6.2 Surplus distribution -- 6.3 Reimbursement of capital -- 7. AUDIT -- 8. DISSOLUTION -- 8.1 Dissolution without liquidation: amalgamation, scissionand conversion -- 8.2 Dissolution with liquidation -- 9. SIMPLIFIED COOPERATIVE STRUCTURES -- 10. HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL INTEGRATION -- 11. DISPUTE SETTLEMENT -- 12. MISCELLANEOUS -- 12.1 Government decrees of application -- 12.2 Sanctions -- 12.3 Repeals, transition -- Part 4: Cooperative lawmaking -- 1. LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURE -- 2. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LAW -- 3. INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF COOPERATIVE LEGISLATION -- Conclusion -- ANNEX 1: International Co-operative Alliance Statementon the Co-operative Identity -- ANNEX 2: 2001 United Nations Guidelines aimed at creatinga supportive environment for the development ofcooperatives -- ANNEX 3: 2002 ILO Recommendation No. 193 on the Promotion of Cooperatives -- I. SCOPE, DEFINITION AND OBJECTIVES -- II. POLICY FRAMEWORK AND ROLE OF GOVERNMENTS -- III. IMPLEMENTATION OF PUBLIC POLICIESFOR THE PROMOTION OF COOPERATIVES -- IV. ROLE OF EMPLOYERS' AND WORKERS' ORGANIZATIONS AND COOPERATIVEORGANIZATIONS, AND RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THEM -- V. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION -- VI. FINAL PROVISION -- Bibliography.