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Abstract
Excerpt from the report Summary: The cooperative criteria tentatively resulting from this study show that: 1. The basic purpose of cooperatives is to render economic benefits to members. 2. Cooperatives are organized around the mutual interest of members. 3. Risks, costs, and benefits are shared "equitably" among members. 4. Cooperatives are nonprofit enterprises in the sense that they are organized for the economic benefit of members as users of the cooperatives' services and not to make profits for the cooperatives as legal entities or for their members as investors. 5. Cooperatives are democratically controlled. 6. Members of cooperatives have an obligation to patronize their cooperative. 7. Cooperatives do business primarily with members.