5: Special Topics in Cooperatives and Mutualism
- Page ID
- 4272
The previous chapters discuss cooperatives as firms, member participation in cooperatives or mutuals, and how participation is carried out through a cooperative’s financial statements and board decisions. This chapter introduces a number of current topics in cooperation and mutualism.
- 5.13: Demutualization- A Rare but Often Studied Event in Cooperatives and Mutuals
- When members of a cooperative or mutual insurance company decide to sell their cooperative or convert to a publicly-held company, which is referred to as demutualization, it gets a lot of attention. Historically, this is a very rare event, with less than 0.01% of the cooperatives tracked over time by the U.S. Department of Agriculture voting to be acquired by a non-cooperative corporation or to demutualize.