From voluntary membership to open doors to half: arbitrariness in the compliance of a cooperative principle

• Main Author: José Eduardo de Miranda
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Universidad de Deusto 2017-12-01
• Series: Boletín de la Asociación Internacional de Derecho Cooperativo
• Subjects: principios cooperativos; adhesión voluntaria; arbitrariedad
• Online Access: http://baidc.revistas.deusto.es/article/view/1334

<p>The principles of Cooperativism come from the interpretation and studies on the Social By-Laws and other regulations of the Cooperative Society of Pioneering Probes of Rochdale. In this sense, the International Cooperative Alliance is in charge of preserving the topicality of the debate on cooperative principles, as a way of safeguarding the essence of the identity of the cooperative system. Also, some principles, such as the principle of free and open membership, are refuted by cooperatives that adopt personal and arbitrary criteria to optimize the candidacy and approval of new members to join the membership. It is important, therefore, an analysis of the meaning of cooperative principles, and the scope of free and voluntary adherence, so that it can be confirmed that the essence of Cooperativism transcends economic sense.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Received</strong>: 01 June 2017<br /><strong>Accepted</strong>: 14 October 2017<br /><strong>Published online</strong>: 22 December 2017</p>