An Assessment Of Factors Affecting Good Governance Practice In Cooperatives: The Case Of Multi- Purpose Cooperative Society Of Toke Kutaye District

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to assess factors that affect the practices of good governance in the multipurpose society of Toke Kutaye District. The study was designed to understand the present practices of good governance that have been in place in multipurpose society, the extent of its practices and where the main factors are. To achieve this purpose, descriptive survey research design was employed. Mixed approaches were used for data analysis. The sample size of 378 farmers, 10 managers, and 20 committee members were involved in the study. Farmers were selected using simple random sampling technique, while managers and committee were included in this study using availability sampling technique. The data gathering tools were questionnaire, focus group discussion. Questionnaire was employed to collect data from managers, committee and farmers. Focus group discussion was used to gather information from the farmers. Then, the information gathered through closed-ended questionnaire was analyzed using percentage, mean score and SPSS. While the information gathered through focus group discussion was narrated qualitatively. The finding of the study revealed the managements were unable to operate and perform good cooperative practices in multipurpose cooperatives. Moreover, lack of managerial competence, misuse of funds, corruption, poor responsiveness, and lack of consensus, bureaucracy, poor sense of ownership, lack of bard-member relation, lack of cooperative by law, poor capital base, poor record keeping, long overdue debts by members, lack of commitment by most committee members. It was also found that lack of transparence between the managements and membership affected the practices of good cooperative governance in the study area. Based on the finding, it was concluded that the level of accountability, transparency, participation, rule of low, responsiveness and others in multi purpose cooperatives were very low. Then, it was recommended that the managements of Toke Kutaye district should ensure implementing the principles of good cooperative governance and adheres to them in their day to day activities, and will prepare transparent and visible strategies with appropriate training packages to enhance knowledge of good governance