Τhe lesson aims at the familiarization of students with the cooperative as an institution as well as with the principles, values, philosophy and practical application of cooperatives and collective forms of entrepreneurship in rural areas.
By successfully completing the course students will be able to:
Describe, distinguish and explain the fundamental concepts of cooperatives,
Explain and employ theories/approaches and methodologies used to analyse and assess the collective forms of entrepreneurship in rural areas.
Assess and explain the multiple roles of cooperatives in modern agriculture and agri-food value chains as well as in rural development.
Understand and define the development phases (and course) of a cooperative and distinguish the critical parameters that differentiate cooperatives from conventional enterprises in rural areas.
Describe and suggest national and EU policies to promote cooperatives and social economy enterprises; and
Explain the role of social finance in developing cooperative solutions in rural areas.
It is the only Greek University Department with the objective of training agroeconomists able to meet the demands of this new period in Greek agriculture which was inaugurated with the entry of Greece into the E.U.
