*** DANIEL CÔTE (Ed.): Les holdings coopératifs. Evolution ou transformation définitive ? Editions De Boeck Université (Distribution: Accès+, 4 Fond Jean-Pâques, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve. Tel.: (32-10) 482500 - Fax: 482519 - E-mail: acces+@deboeck.be - Internet: http: //http://www.deboeck.be ). 2001, 413 pp, 1,570 FB, 255 FF. ISBN 2-8041-3737-6.
An advertising slogan of the 1970s,"The world is changing, we are too" has turned out to be remarkably prophetic. It is obvious that today we are living in an epoch of massive change and huge upheaval, as Peter Drucker's quotation points out in the introduction to this book, "A deep transformation occurs in society every few centuries, in which society is totally reorganised. This produces a new vision of the world, different values, a transformation of the key social structures and institutions…" Who would dare claim that this unstable, sometimes harrowing situation, that is also potentially full of promise as well (after all, the future has not yet been written: it is each and everyone of us that helps write it on a daily basis!), is not what Europe and the world at large is currently undergoing and will undergo for some time still to come? Nothing and no-one can escape it, not even the institutions that only yesterday seemed unshakeable and inexorably permanent. Just like everything else, the co-operative world is on the move, its flagships - insurance, financial services, the agri-food business etc - are changing: recent years have seen the privatisation of the mutual insurance societies, the "de-co-operativisation" of many of the large agricultural co-operatives and coop banks etc. This book bears witness to the current situation, as experienced by the large co-operatives, currently in the grip of tremendous change and provide a theoretical tool for understanding the phenomenon better.
It is the result of three years of research carried out by around thirty different researchers from fourteen countries, edited by Prof. Daniel Côté, who principally teaches business strategies and practical management studies for co-operatives at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Montréal. The work contains 20 essays by 21 different writers. The first seven mainly provide a theoretical approach. The first essay, by Jean-Yves Manoa (Université de Paris 1) analyses the consequences linked to the implementation of a group structure in a Social Economy. His general view is that this evolution will cause the specificity of this kind of economy to disappear but also, that it is not as advanced as it appears. Rafael Chaves and José Luis Monzón (University of Valencia, both of whom are active within the framework of the International Public, Social and Co-operative Economy Research and Information Centre) provide a typology of the different group structures in the Social Economy. They then identify the two trajectories characteristic of the developments resulting from it. One of which is "denaturising" (the technostructure dependent on an expanding power bases, whilst social values and the interests of its members appear barely consolidated as well as institutionalised…); the second aspect of these developments, the antithesis of the former, is "self-empowering". The second contribution that follows combines an analysis of what happens when the scales in the "balance of power" lose equilibrium. Serge Koulytchizky from the Université du Maine, in Mans, explains that when huge numbers of actors arrive on the scene, the old structures topple over, marginalising co-operative democracy. This transformation for the authors does not represent an entirely negative scenario, so long as co-operative members succeed in prioritising economic aims and values above economic principles, as well as the "transformation by the notion of value" approach. René Mauget from l'Ecole supérieure des Sciences économiques et commerciales de Cergy Pontoise also demonstrates that the transformation occurring when a standard co-operative becomes a co-operative group, provokes a transformation in the kinds of distribution; a result due to its changing membership. This transformation can also lead to "de-naturation").
Still part of the theoretical side of the work, Robert Schediwy (Federal Chamber of Economics in Vienna and Professor at the University of Kuopio in Finland) sketches "a life-cycle theory for co-operative federations and other similar groups". Professor Schediwy believes that the federal model is displaying a tendency to break up in western Europe. This particularly decentralised holding system allows for local initiatives with centralised co-ordination able to impose a rational system of management. Roger Spear (Open University Milton Keynes) focuses on co-operative strategies within the framework of globalisation and is able to shed light on factors limiting their internationalisation (access to capital, structure of governance, national orientation, regional and community co-operatives…) as well as their advantages (confidence, participation, self-help, socialised capital etc). Finally, Jerker Nilsson (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Upsala) introduces new organisational models emerging in milk-product co-operatives, while Ricardo Palomo (University of San Pablo in Madrid) and Immaculada Carrasco (University of Castilla, La Mancha) study the specific nature of banking group co-operatives in a global financial environment.
These last two studies act as a kind of bridge to the empirical part of the work, which situates the different theoretical problems in context. The reader also has the opportunity to compare the situation of milk-product co-operatives in France, Portugal, Ireland and Québec. The significantly different developments in the co-operatives studied are also demonstrated. The number of examples provided by the authors of the document enable us to weigh up the effects of globalisation on the large co-operative movements, in a practical manner. Two less typical examples include the Works Co-operative of Mondragón and a consortium of social co-operatives. Examples of agricultural co-operatives in Korea are also explored. As Daniel Côté explains, "it provides one of the most comprehensive analyses of the situation in Asia; a region that has also been engulfed in the storm of globalisation". The final result is a remarkable book: highly informative and meticulous, essential reading for those who want to understand the tremendous developments occurring in an economic sector that is still important but already different.
Michel Theys
*** LUIGI PAGANETTO: Oltre l'Euro. Istituzioni, occupazione e crescita. il Mulino (37 Strada Maggiore, Casella Postale n° 119, I-40100 Bologna. Internet: http://www.mulino.it ). 1999, 256 pp, 38,000 lira. ISBN 88-15-06889-9.
This publication produced by the International Centre of Economic and Development Studies at the University of Rome Tor Vergata essentially focuses on the transition towards the single currency within the time limit allotted for the changeover. The essays examine the possible effects of the Euro on the equilibrium of the international monetary system. These include the effect of The Stability and Growth Pact on public spending, as well as the institutional aspects of the labour market. The book is divided into three parts and the contributions are well-researched. Titles include: "The Labour Market and Employment", "Monetary Policy, Taxation and Growth", "Italy and Europe: Institutions, Employment and Growth".
(GC)
*** Perspectives. World Savings Banks Institute and European Savings Banks Group (11 rue Marie-Thérèse, B-1000 Brussels. Tel.: (32-2) 2111111 - Fax: 2111199 - Internet: http: //http://www.savings-banks.coml ). 2001, No. 41, 88 pp, 4,000 FB. Annual subscription: 3,000 FB.
This edition outlines the 19th World Savings Banks Congress that took place in Berlin last June. The theme of the congress, "Think Globally, Act Locally and Co-operate Internationally". The chosen themes relate to specific aspects of concepts listed in the conference title. More than two thousand bankers from fifty different countries participated in this event to which Queen Sophia of Spain also contributed.
(MT)
*** ROGER DIPPEL, INES NEUTZE, HENNING SCHOPPMANN (Ed): Kreditwirtschaftlich wichtige Vorhaben der EU. Bundesverband Öffentlicher Banken Deutschlands (VÖB-Service GmbH, Postfach 201355, D-53143 Bonn. Tel.: (49-228) 8192-0 - Fax: 8192-222 - E-mail: gosta.gerz@voeb.de). 2000, 257 pp, 59 DM. ISBN 3-927466-62-X.
The Federal Association of German Public Banks is responsible for putting this publication together, which is updated on an annual basis. It is full of detailed and specific information on the Directives, Regulations, Recommendations and Community Opinions in the fields of banking law, the stock exchange and real estate, as well as commercial and company law, capital flows and taxation law etc. Like the previous edition, it comes with a useful CD-ROM covering the main Regulations and Directives covered in the book.
(MT)
*** CLAUDE KREMER, ISABELLE LEBBE: Les organismes de placement collectif en droit luxembourgeois. Editions Larcier (39 rue des Minimes, B-1000 Brussels. Distribution: Accès+, 4 Fond Jean-Pâques, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve. Tel.: (32-10) 482500 - Fax: 482519 - E-mail: accès+cde@deboeck.be). 2001, 465 pp, 122.20 euros, 4,930 FB, 802 FF. ISBN 2-8044-0727-6.
An extremely useful reference tool, this book allows us to follow the developments in the public investment organisation sector. This sector has been developing on a permanent, sustainable scale in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The book also seeks to provide an explanation of how the sector works on a legal level. Written by two lawyers, this book is clearly aimed at specialists in the field. Luxembourg law on public investment funds is dealt with in sections following the progress of a fund from the moment it is created to the moment it is liquidated. Banking law and money laundering are explored in great detail, as well as taxation questions for these organisations and their participants. The impact of Community law is also examined in a chapter on the subject.
(LD)
*** ALISON JONES, BRENDA SUFRIN: EC Competition Law. Text, Cases, and Materials. Oxford University Press (Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, United Kingdom. Tel.: (44-01865) 556767 - Internet: http: //http://www.oup.com ). 2001, 1,159 pp, £ 32.99 ISBN 0-19-876329-8.
Despite its impressive size and the complex subject matter, this book on Community and competition law turned out to be a perfectly readable and accessible study tool for students, professionals and researchers. It is structured in the form of a very comprehensive, detailed and practical guide. By combining introductory documents and explanations with excerpts from articles from specialist and academic journals, legislation and legal decisions, Alison Jones, Professor of Law at King's College London and Brenda Sufrin, her colleague at the University of Bristol, have compiled a monumental tome that is both useful for study and reference alike. Economic terms and concepts are also explained in the glossary.
Adding the final touch to their manuscript in November 2000, the authors of the book were unfortunately unable to completely integrate the contents of the new European Commission proposal on the application of Articles 81 and 82 of the Treaty, introduced in September 2000. Nevertheless, the subject of the proposal, an end to the current system of notification (also a number of other radical ideas) has been added to the annex. An analysis of specialised sectors and public aid, however, is not included. This publication does, nevertheless, provide the reader with sufficient examples of competition law in practice and subsequently reveals a particularly interesting area. The fact that American anti-trust law is also dealt with constitutes an additional extra, so too do the chapters on monopolies and mergers and aspects of overseas, international, Community and US competition law. Jack Welch should certainly have referred to this book before presenting his GE/Honeywell merger plan to Mario Monti…
(PB)
*** JEAN BOULOUIS, MARCO DARMON, JEAN-GUY HUGLO: Contentieux communautaire. Editions Dalloz (31-35 rue Froidevaux, F-75685 Paris cedex 14. Internet: http: //http://www.dalloz.fr - Distribution: Patrimoine, 168 rue du Noyer, B-1030 Brussels. Tel./fax: (32-2) 7366847). 2001, 435 pp, 1,632 FB. ISBN 2-247-03328-8.
Knowing who is one's Judge and having access to the said Judge, affects the way in which civil law operates. This holds true at a national level but also for the European Union which aims to be a "community of law". Community law imposes obligations on EU Member States and their citizens, and also gives rise to new laws for Member States and their citizens. This summary covers legal channels that ensure that EU law is respected, through a national Judge as "Community Common Law Judge", as well as in the European Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance. This second edition is dedicated to Jean Boulouis, emeritus Professor at l'Université de droit, d'économie et de sciences sociales de Paris, who died shortly after publication of the first edition in August 1997. This updated version no longer covers the Treaty established by the European Community of Coal and Steel, which will expire on 25 July 2002, but its does incorporate developments resulting from the Treaty of Amsterdam (new numbering, an extension of the European Court of Justice competencies). The former Court of Luxembourg Public Prosecutor, Marco Darmon, and Public Auditor at the Court of Appeal and Associate Professor at the Université de Paris X Nanterre, Jean-Guy Huglo, also contribute to dealing with fundamental rights as constitutional Community rules.
(MT)
*** The EUROPEAN COMMISSION (Official Publications Bureau of the European Communities, L-2985, Luxembourg) has published the following:
*** Europeans as seen by themselves. Results of opinion polls. "European Documentation" series, DG Press and Communication (200 rue de la Loi, B-1049 Brussels). 2001, 56 pp. ISBN 92-894-0078-1.
This publication provides a selection of public opinion poll results over the last 25 years on almost every aspect of life in the European Union. The different polls in each field have been carefully selected - the values expressed by its citizens, their support for European policies, as well as the concerns of the different groups, particularly the young, women and high-level decision makers. Ideas on the future of are also to be found in this booklet.
*** The European Environment Agency (6 Kongens Nytorv, DK-1050 Copenhagen, Denmark. Tel.: (45) 33367100 - Fax: 33367199 - E-mail: eea@eea.eu.int - Internet: http://www.eea.eu.int ) has published the following documents:
*** 2000: The year in brief. 2001, 11 pp. ISBN 92-9167-295-5.
This leaflet of the European Environment Agency has observed that the year 2000 marked an important "turning point". In 2000 the first reports based on a range of indicators were published, which provide the basis for the Agency's future reporting strategy. How these indicators in the decision-making process function and the reliability of the sources on which they are based are explained in the publication, which highlights the success of the Agency internet site (more than 100,000 visits each month). Concerns about the future: enlargement and more particularly, co-operation between new Member States.
*** Environmental benchmarking for local authorities: From concept to practice. Series "Environmental issue report", No. 20. 2001, 61 pp, 7 euros. ISBN 92-9167-288-2.
This edition focuses on the importance of data, information and know-how sharing between decision makers and local communities, particularly on environmental questions. By providing a series of economic indicators, it demonstrates how the quality of urban life can be improved - its ultimate goal - sustainable development. A very comprehensive study.
*** NATO Peace Keeping Operations 1991 - 2000. Statistics and tables. United Nations Department of Information
This booklet focuses on graphs rather than the written word aims to bring us glad tidings. According to statistics, UN peace keeping operations over the last ten years have developed in the right direction. But do these statistics take into account the real suffering going on in the world? Out of the 54 UN led operations since 1948, two thirds of them have occurred since 1991! Hardly something to celebrate.
*** Francesca Arato: Italia e Grecia. Breve excursus sui rapporti bilaterali nel Ventesimo secolo. Fora ellenico (Greek Embassy in Rome). 2001, 45 pp. A compendium of relations between Italy and Greece: political history, economic and cultural, complete with data and photos. It comes with a bibliography and information about the internet sites for those who want to go further into what the Greek ambassador has described as a history of deep friendship.
Journals in brief
*** La Riscoperta della Letteratura neogreca, Foroellenico, May/June, Rome. This publication seeks to reflect the rekindling of interest in Neo-Greek litterature… *** European Union Newsletter. No. 3, August 2001, Zagreb. A brief summary: another step by Croatia towards accession to the EU is described in this bulletin produced by the European Commission Delegation in Zagreb: it covers instruments such as the Stability Pact and the Association Agreement act as a springboard. *** Slovenia Weekly. July 2001, Ljubljana. A brief summary: the new "Ad Futura" funding for science and education, Austro-Slovenian relations, the encouraging and unstinting progress made by Slovenia towards EU accession, etc.