About the efficiency of agricultural cooperatives’ functioning in Russia

Abstract. The relevance of the presented material are justified by the fact that agrarian cooperation, first, is considered today as the most important condition for the successful functioning of agrarian sector of the economy and the preservation of rural areas, second, is under the close attention of the government, third, is characterized by low efficiency, despite the considerable efforts of theorists and practitioners. Research objective is scrupulous studying of a condition of cooperative activity in the Russian Federation in general and its regions in particular therefore materials about the efficiency assessment of domestic agricultural consumer cooperatives activity are presented in article (including in the Ural Federal District). Results. The main determinants of inefficient activity of agricultural consumer cooperatives in Russia (confirmed by calculations and analysis of corresponding economic indicators) are such circumstances as low readiness of producers for any integrative processes due to inadequacy of informal institutions; obstacles for introduction of entrepreneurial models into cooperative activities by formal institutions; limited resources at the disposal of cooperatives (including financial); non-compliant quality of human capital; inability to implement the traditional cooperative model in the current environment. Scientific novelty. The results are positively correlated with trends in the institutional environment. At the same time, the data of theoretical and empirical studies, on the basis of which, first of all, modern achievements of cooperative science and generalized material of practical activity of agricultural consumer cooperatives, allow not only to identify the main trends and tendencies in the development of domestic agricultural consumer cooperatives, but also to identify the reasons for their slow development.