This study addresses the analysis of six local coffee organizations in two communities of the Isthmus region in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. The central purpose of the study is to identify and analyze those social factors that explain the emergence, proliferation, and level of success accomplished by each local coffee organization. The emergence and proliferation of the local coffee organizations is explained through: the withdrawal of the state in regulating and supporting the coffee activities; the economic differentiation among the coffee producers within the coffee communities; and the political competition and fragmentation among the coffee producers. The local organizations' success is analyzed in terms of the local organization linkages (horizontal and vertical), the origin of leadership (local and external), the number of activities undertaken by the organization (single or multiple), the span of organizational control of the coffee production and distribution, the degree of autonomy, and the degree of internal democracy and level of participation of members in organizational decision making and organizational posts. The findings show that those organizations with external leadership, greater number of horizontal and vertical linkages, multiple activities, greater span of control, more democratic structure, and greater degree of autonomy enjoy higher level of economic success (level of capitalization) and social success (improving members' standard of living).
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