See the latest research giving insight into how and why farmer groups are more cooperative when democratic in nature. Strong social ties also help.
Authors conducted public goods experiments among farmer groups in Malawi for "Public good provision and democracy: Evidence from an experiment with farmer groups in Malawi" to be published in World Development's September 2021 issue.
They found that democratic groups are more cooperative and engage more in collective action than leader-driven groups. Access the article through your institution here.
Vesall Nourani, V., Maertens, A., & Michelson, H. (2021). Public good provision and democracy: Evidence from an experiment with farmer groups in Malawi. World Development(145). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105507.
Photo: AgReach 2015