A Study of the Co-operative Movement and its Development in Fiji

Abstract

Co-operative societies as described in this study are essentially a western approach to economic organisation. They have their origin in the West and after several decades of experience in the countries of western civilization, they have been introduced in a number of economically under-developed countries in an attempt to promote their economic and social development. As co-operative societies have proved successful in several countries at markedly varying stages of development, it is useful to sketch briefly their history and present position in a few selected countries and examine the implications of co-operation generally in order to enable us to appreciate the nature of the problems and the role of co-operation in the development of Fiji. The introductory chaptare, however, are not intended to be comprehensive. The thesis is divided into five Parts. While Part I deals with the origin of co-operation and its achievements in a few selected economically developed and under-developed countries, Part II is an attempt to examine briefly the nature of co-operatives and the methods of operation. A short survey of the Fijian economy is made at the beginning of Part III and then an attempt is made to evaluate the progress made by the Fijian Co-operative Movement generally and among the different racial groups over the period 1948-58. The role of the Department of Co-operative Societies and the legal framework for the operation of the co-operative societies in Fiji are examined in Part IV and the overall summary and the conclusions of the writer are presented in the final Part V.