The emergent framework of governance now provides a new understanding of the current structures and dynamics in the cooperative sector. What constitutes good cooperative governance and how these can be installed as an inherent functional property of the cooperative system lie at the center of this study. The operational framework to assess the governance performance of cooperative is anchored on the universal principles of cooperatives and the elements of good governance. This supplies the parameters and provides the benchmark to the BODs, management and staff and members to monitor, evaluate and decide whether the cooperative is moving closer to these parameters through the key aspects of governance. These key aspects are observed in terms of the cooperative's policy and institutional environment, the coop's internal structure and the cadre system which represent the permanent nucleus of individuals composing the cooperatives. The research design used a combination of the case study and survey. The units of analysis for the study were selected primary cooperatives, operating in different parts of the country.
