The Theory of Peasant Co-operatives

Description

The Theory of Peasant Co-operatives is the first translation of Chavanov's study of the transformation of the peasant economy within a market economy, and his prescription for the development of Russian agriculture. Predicting remarkably accurately the negative aspects of Stalin's collectivization programme, the hook offers a realistic alternative. Chavanov argues that the success of the co-operative system is dependent on combined development linking diverse form'. of farming organization. Although written in the 1920s, the theoretical concepts and practical insights Chavanov offers are directly relevant to the current restructuring o Soviet agriculture, as well as to debates about smallholders in the Third World and the so-called 'informal economies' of industrial societies. The book is likely to become an important text for students of sociology, development studies and Soviet studies.

Alexander Chavanov (1888-1937) was the major theorist of peasant studies in a period when Russia! USSR led the field, and directed the prestigious Institute of Rural Studies. The Theori' of Peasant Eeononzv, the hrst of his works translated into English, has become a classic text in development studies. In the late 1920s, Chavanov began to he regarded as an enemy of the state; he was arrested in 1931 and executed in 1937. In 1987 he was officially rehabilitated and the importance of his ideas acknowledged.