TY - EJOUR AB - The theory of the firm contained in most textbooks is inadequate for understanding the economic behavior of cooperatives because some assertions about firm behavior, such as profit maximization, may be inappropriate for cooperatives. This article provides an introduction to the neoclassical theory of cooperatives, which has been useful for generating insights into the behavior of cooperatives in various market structures, helping cooperatives develop business strategies consistent with their objectives, and informing public policy decisions concerning cooperatives. Part I of this article presents the basic elements of the neoclassical theory as it pertains to farm supply cooperatives. AU - Royer, Jeffrey S. DA - 2014 DA - 2014 DO - 10.22004/ag.econ.244008 DO - doi EP - 19 EP - 1 ID - 244008 JF - Journal of Cooperatives KW - Industrial Organization KW - Marketing KW - Public Economics KW - Cooperatives KW - farm supply cooperatives KW - neoclassical theory KW - objectives KW - strategies KW - equilibria L1 - https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/244008/files/PARTI_FINALVERSION.pdf L2 - https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/244008/files/PARTI_FINALVERSION.pdf L4 - https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/244008/files/PARTI_FINALVERSION.pdf LA - eng LK - https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/244008/files/PARTI_FINALVERSION.pdf N2 - The theory of the firm contained in most textbooks is inadequate for understanding the economic behavior of cooperatives because some assertions about firm behavior, such as profit maximization, may be inappropriate for cooperatives. This article provides an introduction to the neoclassical theory of cooperatives, which has been useful for generating insights into the behavior of cooperatives in various market structures, helping cooperatives develop business strategies consistent with their objectives, and informing public policy decisions concerning cooperatives. Part I of this article presents the basic elements of the neoclassical theory as it pertains to farm supply cooperatives. PY - 2014 PY - 2014 SP - 1 T1 - The Neoclassical Theory of Cooperatives: Part I TI - The Neoclassical Theory of Cooperatives: Part I UR - https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/244008/files/PARTI_FINALVERSION.pdf VL - 28 Y1 - 2014 T2 - Journal of Cooperatives ER -