The degree of development reached by cooperatives of different sectors throughout the world, which among others led to the UN declaring 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives, needs to be accompanied by a similar development of corresponding legislation. To this end, a better knowledge of cooperative law from the comparative point of view, as has already been established for other types of enterprises, becomes of great importance. This book strives to fill this gap, and is divided into four parts. The first part offers an analytic and conceptual framework with which to understand, study and assess cooperative law from a transnational and comparative perspective. The second part includes several chapters dealing with attempts to harmonize cooperative laws. The third part contains an overview of more than 30 national cooperative laws, while the last part summarizes and compares these national cooperative laws, thus laying the foundation for a comparative cooperative law doctrine.

The Routledge International Handbook of Legal and Investigative Psychology explores contemporary topics in psychological science, applying them to investigative and legal procedures. Written by recognized scholars from around the globe, this book brings together current research, emerging trends, and cutting-edge debates in a single comprehensive and authoritative volume. Drawing from both research and practice, this handbook highlights many important issues such as: how to investigate and prosecute rape; the value of emotional affect in homicide investigations; and factors affecting jurors’ and suspects’ decision making. By considering current research, the authors inform both legal and investigative professionals of findings that are of direct relevance to them, and the steps that can be taken to improve efficiency. This collection will inform investigative and legal professionals, advanced psychology students, academics, researchers, and policy makers. It will also be of great interest to researchers from other disciplines, including criminology, policing, and law.

This open-access book brings together international experts who shed new light on the status of social enterprises, benefit corporations and other purpose-driven companies. The respective chapters take a multidisciplinary approach (combining law, philosophy, history, sociology and economics) and provide valuable insights on fostering social entrepreneurship and advancing the common good. In recent years, we have witnessed a significant shift of how business activities are conducted, mainly through the rise of social enterprises. In an effort to target social problems at their roots, social entrepreneurs create organizations that bring transformative social changes by considering, among others, ethical, social, and environmental factors. A variety of social enterprise models are emerging internationally and are proving their vitality and importance. But what does the term “social enterprise” mean? What are its roots? And how does it work in practice within the legal framework of any country? This handbook attempts to answer these questions from a theoretical, historical, and comparative perspective, bringing together 44 contributions written by 71 expert researchers and practitioners in this field. The first part provides an overview of the social enterprise movement, its evolution, and the different forms entities can take to meet global challenges, overcoming the limits of what governments and states can do. The second part focuses on the emergence of benefit corporations and the growing importance of sustainability and societal values, while also analyzing their different legal forms and adaptation to their regulatory environment. In turn, the last part presents the status quo of purpose-driven companies in 36 developed and emerging economies worldwide. This handbook offers food for thought and guidance for everyone interested in this field. It will benefit practitioners and decision-makers involved in social and community organizations, as well as in international development and, more generally speaking, social sciences and economics.

This Handbook investigates all types of 'member owned' organizations, whether consumer co-operatives, agricultural and producer co-operatives, or worker co-operatives among many others. The chapters reflect the latest academic research and thinking on each topic, as well as reporting the relevant policy debates.

The Principles of European Cooperative Law (PECOL) focus on the 'ideal' legal identity of cooperatives. Drafted by a team of legal scholars, the PECOL aim to describe the common core of European cooperative law based on both existing cooperative law in Europe, and the EU regulation on the societas cooperativa europaea. The Principles are accompanied by commentaries which illustrate the rationale and legislative background of each principle, and link them to the key features of co-operative identity. The PECOL are articulated into five chapters corresponding to the main aspects around which a cooperative's identity may be structured, namely the purpose pursued, internal governance, financial structure, external control, and cooperation among cooperatives. The second part of the book presents the national reports upon which the PECOL were based. The reports offer a detailed overview of the cooperative law of seven European jurisdictions (Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the UK), and thus provide a unique opportunity for law-makers, practitioners, and researchers to compare, circulate, and apply best practices of cooperative legislation. Subject: European Law, Cooperative Law]

This book contributes to the development of literature on cooperative law while paying tribute to Hagen Henrÿ’s significant impact on this field at a global scale. Hagen Henrÿ is one of the most influential scholars in the field of cooperative law. His primary contribution has been in the area of public international cooperative law. His other areas of scientific interest include development law and comparative law. This honorary volume is focused on two main axes -- the essence of cooperatives as well as their activities and their governance. The contributions throw light on how these two axes are addressed by cooperative legislation across countries, regions and continents. In the varied perspectives that the contributions put together, both a theoretical and practical approach, the authors address central, current and crucial issues for the development of cooperative law. The book is a great resource for researcher scholars, as well as policy makers and industry players interested in the topic.

This handbook is an advanced level reference guide which provides a comprehensive and contemporary overview of the corpus of international environmental law (IEL).