Definisi Koperasi

Definisi koperasi menurut
ILO (Internasional Labour Organization)	Penggabungan orang-orang berdasarkan kesukarelaan Terdapat tujuan ekonomi yang ingin dicapai Koperasi berbentuk organisasi bisnis yang diawasi dan dikendalikan secara demokratis Terdapat kontribusi yang adil terhadap modal yang dibutuhkan Anggota koperasi menerima resiko dan manfaat secara seimbang
Arifinal Chaniago	Koperasi sebagai suatu perkumpulan  yang beranggotakan orang-orang atau badan hukum, yang memberikan kebebasan kepada anggota untuk masuk dan keluar, dengan bekerja sama secara kekeluargaan menjalankan usaha untuk mempertinggi kesejahteraan jasmaniah para anggotanya.
P.J.V. Dooren	There is no single definition (for coopertive) which is generally accepted, but the common principle is that cooperative union is an association of member, either personal or corporate, which have voluntarily come together in pursuit of a common economic objective. Jika diartikan ke dalam bahasa Indonesia berarti ”Tidak ada definisi tunggal (untuk coopertive) yang umumnya diterima, tetapi prinsip yang umum menjelaskan bahwa serikat koperasi adalah sebuah asosiasi anggota, baik pribadi atau perusahaan, yang telah secara sukarela datang bersama-sama dalam mengejar tujuan ekonomi umum”.
Hatta ( Bapak Koperasi Indonesia )	Koperasi adalah usaha bersama untuk memperbaiki  nasib penghidupan ekonomi berdasarkan tolong-menolong. Semangat tolong menolong tersebut didorong oleh keinginan memberi jasa kepada kawan berdasarkan “seorang buat semua dan semua buat seorang”.
Munkner	Koperasi sebagai organisasi tolong menolong yang menjalankan ‘urusniaga’ secara kumpulan, yang berazaskan konsep tolong-menolong. Aktivitas dalam urusniaga semata-mata bertujuan ekonomi, bukan sosial seperti yang dikandung gotong royong .
UU No. 25 / 1992	Koperasi adalah badan usaha yang beranggotakan orang-seorang atau badan hukum koperasi, dengan melandaskan kegiataannya berdasarkan prinsip koperasi sekaligus sebagai gerakan ekonomi rakyat yang berdasar atas azas kekeluargaan.   Dari beberapa pengertian diatas sehingga dapat kami simpulkan, bahwa Koperasi adalah suatu perkumpulan orang orang atau badan hukum yang tujuannya untuk kesejahteraan bersama dan didalam perkumpulan tersebut mengandung azas kekeluargaan yang saling bergotong royong dan tolong menolong diantara anggota koperasi. Berdasarkan batasan koperasi, koperasi Indonesia mengandung 5 unsur sebagai berikut : Koperasi adalah badan usaha ( Business Enterprise ) Koperasi adalah kumpulan orang – orang dan atau badan – badan hokum koperasi Koperasi Indonesia adalah koperasi yang bekerja berdasarkan “prinsip – prinsip koperasi” Koperasi Indonesia adalah “Gerakan Ekonomi Rakyat”. Koperasi Indonesia “berazaskan kekeluargaan”

SEJARAH PERKEMBANGAN KOPERASI DI DUNIA DAN DI INDONESIA

1.     Perkembangan Koperasi di Dunia

Gerakan koperasi digagas oleh Robert Owen ( 1771-1858), yan menerapkan nya pertama kali pada usaha permintaan kapas di  New Lanark, Skotlandia . Gerakan  koperasi ini dikembangkan lebih lanjut oleh  William King (1786-1865) dengan mendirikan toko koperasi di Brrighton, Inggris. Pada 1 Mei 1828, King menerbitkan publikasi bulanan yang bernama The Cooperator, yang berisi berbagai gagasan dan saran-saran praktis tentang mengelola toko dengan menggunakan prinsip koperasi .  Koperasi pun berkembang di negara-negara lainnya.

Koperasi akhirnya berkembang di negara-negara lainnya.  Di Jerman, juga berdiri koperasi yang menggunakan prinsip-prinsip yang sama dengan koperasi buatan Inggris.  Koperasi-koperasi di Inggris didirikan oleh Charles Foirer, Raffeinsen, dan Schulze Delitch. Di Perancis, Louis Blanc mendirikan koperasi produksi yang mengutamakan kualitas barang. Di Denmark Pastor Christiansone mendirikan koperasi pertanian.

Kemajuan  ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi pada pertengahan abad ke-18 telah mengubah wajah dunia. Berbagai penemuan di bidang teknologi ( revolusi industri ) melahirkan tata dunia ekonomi baru. Tatanan dunia ekonomi menjajdi terpusat pada keuntungan perseorangan, yaitu kaum pemilik modal ( kapitalisme ). Kaum kapitalis atau pemilik modal memanfaatkan penemuan baru tersebutdengan sebaik-baiknya untuk memperkaya dirinya dan memperkuat kedudukan ekonominya. Hasrat serakah ini melahirkan persaingan bebas yang tidak terbatas. Sistem ekonomi kapitalis / liberal memberikan keuntungan yang sebesar-besarnya kepada pemilik modal dan melahirkan kemelaratan dan kemiskinan bagi masyarakat ekonomi lemah.

Dalam kemiskinan dan kemelaratan  ini, muncul  kesadaran  masyarakat untuk memperbaiki nasibnya sendiri dengan mendirikan koperasi. Pada tahun 1844 lahirlah koperasi pertama di Inggris yang terkenal dengan nama Koperasi Rochdale di bawah pimpinan Charles Howart. Di Jerman, Frederich Willhelm Raiffeisen dan Hermann Schulze memelopori Koperasi Simpan Pinjam. Di Perancis, muncul tokoh-tokoh kperasi seperti Charles Fourier, Louis Blance, dan Ferdinand Lassalle.

2. Perkembangan koperasi di Indonesia

Koperasi diperkenalkan di Indonesia oleh Raden Arta Wiriaatmadja. Seorang patih dari Purwokerto, Jawa Tengah pada tahun 1896. Bekerja sama dengan E Sieburg, R. Arta Wiraatmadja mendirikan koperasi kredit sistem Riffeisen. Gerakan koperasi semakin meluas bersamaan dengan munculnya pergerakan nasional menentang penjajahan. Gerakan koperasi semakin meluas bersamaan dengan munculnya pergerakan nasional menentang penjajahan. Berdirinya Boedi Oetomo, pada tahun 1908 mencoba memajukan koperasi rumah tangga ( koperasi konsumsi ). Serikat Islam pada tahun 1913 membantu memajukan koperasi dengan bantuan modal dan mendirikan Toko Koperasi. Pada tahun 1927, usaha koperasi dilanjutkan oleh Indonesische Studie Club yang kemudian menjadi Persatuan Bangsa Indonesia ( PBI ) di Surabaya. Partai Nasional Indonesia ( PNI ) di dalam kongresnya di Jakarta berusaha menggelorakan semangat operasi sehingga kongres ini sering juga disebut “ kongres koperasi ”. Tujuan nya untuk membantu para anggotanya agar tidak terjerat dengan rentenir. Pada jaman penjajahan Jepang koperasi Indonesia dijadikan alat pertahanan dengan nama kumiai. Fungsi koperasi menjadi rusak dan banyak yang membubarkan diri.

Setelah Indonesia merdeka semangat mendirikan koperasi bangkit kembali. Pemerintah mendukung penuh atas pendirian koperasi, khususnya melalui UUD 1945, pasal 33 ayat 1 pada tanggal 12 Juli 1947 diadakan kongres pertama di Tasikmalaya, Jawa Barat. Kongres Koperasi I menghasilkan beberapa keputusan penting, antara lain :

1. mendirikan sentral Organisasi Koperasi Rakyat Indonesia ( SOKRI )
2. menetapkan gotong  royong  sebagai  asas  koperasi
3. menetapkan pada tanggal 12 Juli sebagai  hari Koperasi

Akibat  tekanan  dari  berbagai  pihak  misalnya  Agresi Belanda, keputuasan  Kongres Koperasi I belum dapat dilaksanakan sebagaimana  mestinya. Namun, pada tanggal 12 Juli 1953, diadakanlah Kongres Koperasi II di Bandung, yang  antara lain mengambil putusan sebagai berikut :

1. Membentuk Dewan Koperasi Indonesia ( Dekopin ) sebagai  pengganti  SOKRI
2. Menetapkan  pendidikan  koperasi  sebagai  salah  satu  mata  pelajaran di sekolah
3. Mengangkat Moh. Hatta  sebagai  Bapak Koperasi Indonesia
4. Segera akan dibuat undang-undang  koperasi yang baru

Pada tanggal 12 Juli sebagai hari koperasi san Drs. Moh. Hatta sebagai Bapak Koperasi. . Di Indonesia pun koperasi ini lahir sebagai usaha memperbaiki ekonomi masyarakat yang ditindas oleh penjajah pada masa itu.

Sekilas info mengenai Bapak Koperasi Indonesia

 Mohammad Hatta

 Mohammad Hatta lahir di Bukittinggi pada tanggal 12 Agustus 1902. Ia mempelajari ilmu ekonomi di Belanda dari tahun 1921 sampai tahun 1932. Kemudian ia menjadi salah satu pendiri Partai Pendidikan Nasional Indonesia dan bersama Sukarno menjadi proklamator kemerdekaan Indonesia. Hatta menjabat sebagai wakil presiden Indonesia pertama mendampingi sukarno yang menjabat sebagai presiden pertama Indonesia. Selama menjabat menjadi wakil presiden ia menulis beberapa esai dari buku ekonomi kerakyatan. Selama itu Ia mengembangkan koperasi di Indonesia. Oleh karena itu, Ia memperoleh sebutan sebagai Bapak Koperasi Indonesia dalam Kongres Koperasi Indonesia.

Hal itu sebenarnya sudah tersirat dalam  pandangan Mohammad Hatta, Bapak Koperasi Indonesia. Menurut Hatta, Koperasi adalah usaha bersama dalam memperbaiki nasib penghidupan ekonomi berdasarkan tolong menolong. Semangat tolong  menolong tersebut didukung keinginan memberi jasa kepada kawan berdasarkan prinsip “satu untuk semua dan semua untuk satu”

 Pengertian Koperasi

 Kata “koperasi” berasal dari bahasa Inggris yaitu co dan operation. Co artinya bersama, operation adalah usaha . jadi koperasi adalah usaha bersama. Berikut merupakan macam-macam pengertian koperasi mengandung beberapa makna pokok yaitu :

1. Koperasi merupakan badan usaha
2. Koperasi dapat didirikan oleh orang seorang atau badan hukum koperasi yang sekaligus sebagai anggota koperasi yang bersangkutan
3. Koperasi dikelola berdasarkan  prinsip koperasi yaitu atas asas kekeluargaan.

Prinsip koperasi

Bahwa ada 7 prinsip yang dapat dianut suatu koperasi, yaitu :

1. Keanggotaan  bersifat  sukarela dan terbuka
2. Pengelolaan  dilakukan secara demokratis
3. Pembagian  sisa  hasil usaha berdasarkan jasa anggota
4. Pemberian  balas  jasa terbatas terhadap modal
5. Kemandirian
6. Pendidikan  perkoperasian
7. Kerja sama antarkoperasi

Macam-macam  koperasi adalah :

1. Koperasi  simpan pinjam (KSP)
2. Koperasi  produksi
3. Koperasi  jasa

 Struktur Internal Organisasi Koperasi :

1. Anggota koperasi adalah setiap orang yang menjabat sebagai peserta koperasi sesuai dengan ketentuan dalam anggaran dasar.
2. Rapat anggota adalah pemegang kekuasaan tertinggi koperasi yang bertugas untuk menentukan dan memutuskan kebijakan-kebijakan umum dalam organisasi  dan manajemen koperasi.
3. Pengurus adalah pelaksana kebijakan-kebjakan tentang organisasi dan manajemen koperasi yang telah ditetapkan dalam rapat anggota. Dala pelaksanaan nya, pengurus biasanya dibantu oleh karyawan yang telah terorganisasi dan disesuaikan dengan kebutuhan koperasi.
4. Pengawas adalah pengawas atau pengendali dan pelaksanaan kebijakan-kebijakan dan tugas-tugas yang dilakukan oleh pegurus. Hal-hal yang diawasi oleh pengawas koperasi antara lain kegiatan usaha , pemanfaatan modal, pembayaran utang-utang , dan pengelolaan keuangan.
5. Pengelola adalah staff pelaksana harian kegiatan koperasi yang dipilih oleh pengurus koperasi atas persetujuan anggota.

 Struktur Eksternal Organisasi Koperasi :

1. Koperasi Induk adalah gabungan dari sedikitnya ini koperasi gabungan yang berkedudukan disuatu negara
2. Koperasi gabungan adalah gabungan dari paling sedikit tiga koperasi pusat dan berkedudukan di ibukota provinsi
3. Koperasi pusat adalah gabungan dari paling sedikit lima koperasi dan berkedudukan di ibukota kabupaten.
4. Koperasi primer adalah koperasi  merupakan  kumpulan dari  paling sedikit 20 orang yang  tergabung  dengan  tujuan  yang  sama.

ciri-ciri koperasi

Berdasarkan  pengertian  koperasi , berikut diuraikan ciri-ciri koperasi adalah :

1. Koperasi Indonesia bukan kumpulan modal, melainkan  kumpulan orang
2. Koperasi Indonesia bekerja sama berdasarkan  persamaan derajat, hak, dan kewajiban. Koperasi seharusnya berperan sebagai  wadah  demokrasi ekonomi dan sosial.
3. Segala kegiatan  koperasi  Indonesia didasarkan atas kesadaran  para anggotanya .

Landasan koperasi Indonesia :

1. Landasan  idil koperasi Indonesia adalah Pancasila.
2. Landasan  struktural  koperasi Indonesia adalah UUD 1945 Pasal 33 ayat 1.
3. Landasan  mental  koperasi Indonesia adalah  kesetiakawanan dan kesadaran pribadi
4. Landasan  operasional  koperasi Indonesia adalah  ketentuan-ketentuan organisasi yang  harus ditaati  dan dipatuhi  oleh  anggota, pengurus, badan pemeriksa, manajer, serta karyawan  koperasi  dalam  melaksanakan  tugasnya  masing-masing.

Bahwa fungsi koperasi indonesia adalah :

1. Alat  perjuangan  ekonomi  untuk  mempertinggi  kesejahteraan  rakyat .
2. Alat  pendemokrasian  ekonomi  sosial.
3. Sebagai  salah  satu  urat  nadi  perekonomian  bangsa  indonesia.

Sumber :

• Endang mulyadi , Mardiyanto Ekonomi 2 smp kelas VIII yudhistira
• Edisi 3 manajemen koperasi DR. Sukato Reksohadiprodjo, M.com. Fakultas ekonomi Universitas Gadjah Mada Yogyakarta
• Alam S.Economic 3B for senior high school grade XII semester 2 Bilingual Edisi 2
• Wahyu adji , Suwerti,suratno . ekonomi untuk SMA/MA kelas XII 

tugas 2 softskill bahasa inggris (report speech)

Women’s economic role vital to national development.

Increasing women’s participation in economic activities has been vital to improving the lives of their families and entire societies as well as their countries, the US Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues Catherine M. Russell says.

In an interview with The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Women and Economy Forum in Nusa Dua last weekend, Russell said that promoting gender equality and advancing the status of all women and girls around the world, including those living in the Asia-Pacific region, remained the biggest challenges at the present time.

“It is important to enable women to participate in economic activity. It is one of the ways for any country in the world to accelerate development and to eliminate poverty as women will invest their incomes in their child’s health, nutrition and education that will in turn improve their family’s living condition,” said Russell, who was in Bali from Sept. 5-9 on her first overseas mission since being appointed to her present position.

“Attending the APEC Women and Economy Forum in Bali, Indonesia, is my first overseas duty and I am very excited to learn about women’s conditions in the country,” she said.

During her stay in Bali for the APEC Women’s Forum, Russell made the opening remarks for the APEC WEF Young Women’s Innovators Awards during the Public-Private Dialogue on Women and the Economy. 

She addressed the APEC Joint SME-WEF Ministerial Meeting, which included SME ministers and ministers responsible for women’s issues, highlighting the US State Department work in support of women’s entrepreneurship. 

Russell also discussed bilateral issues with government officials from APEC economies and met with private sector leaders to examine ways to strengthen women’s economic participation in the region and further integrate gender considerations into the APEC process.

She praised Indonesian women’s entrepreneurship upon visiting a silver jewelry factory owned by Balinese businesswoman Nyoman Desak Suarti in Ketewel village, Gianyar, which employs more than 100 workers, mostly women. “She can become a role model from Indonesia for women’s entrepreneurship. I will share her success story,” the ambassador said. 

In efforts to boost participation in the public sphere, she underlined the need to give wider access to girls and women to education, health, job opportunities and working capital.

The US has strongly committed to raising the status of women and girls around the world and underscores its commitment to preventing and responding to gender-based violence, including domestic violence and violence against girls and women.

“Domestic violence has been so pervasive even in the US,” she said, adding that such violence undermined the safety, dignity and human rights of the millions of individuals who experience it, as well as threatened public health, economic stability and security.

Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy Kristen F. Bauer noted that the US government had supported various girls and women’s empowerment programs, such as sports exchange for girls, gender equality in athletics, training for young female entrepreneurs, education and scholarship. 

“Half of our scholarship recipients are girls and women,” Bauer said.

“Despite our [US government] strong commitment and the commitment of every world government to address women’s issues around the world, it is the women in every country who have to stand up, to raise their voices and to fight for their basic human rights,” stated Russell.

Through the APEC platforms, governments, private sectors and all stakeholders must work together to enhance the lives of girls and women, to increase their participation in economic and political fields to achieve gender equality and to eliminate any form of discrimination against women and girls, she said.

1.)    “Attending the APEC Women and Economy Forum in Bali, Indonesia, is my first overseas duty and I am very excited to learn about women’s conditions in the country,” she said. ( Direct - Present Continues )

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- People in Alabama's 7th Congressional District need jobs if the area is to be lifted from the bottom of national prosperity rankings and lowered from the top of poverty and population loss listings, both candidates agree.

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell and her challenger, former Birmingham city attorney Tamara Harris Johnson, say that economic development is the most pressing issue in the district that runs from Birmingham down to the Black Belt.

But Sewell and Johnson offer different approaches when it comes to making significant improvements, as they describe in a recent question-and-answer session with AL.com.

See a portion of their answers in the video below.

What Role Can The Federal Goverment Play To Address Health And Economic Issues In District 7 BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - District 7 unfortunately remains at the top of the negative lists when it comes to economics and health. What role, if any, can the federal government play in addressing some of these issues? Terri A. Sewell and Tamara Harris Johnson candidates for the 7th Congressional District met with members of the Alabama Media Group Editorial Board to discuss questions facing the district in Birmingham, Alabama Monday May 5, 2014.

District 7 struggles with a 14 percent unemployment rate, and more than half of the 256,000 households, 140,483, earn less than $35,000 a year, according to census numbers. In fact, 109,000 households earn less than $25,000.

"How we've tried to address the job situation is head-on with a results-oriented solution," Sewell said, noting her series of job fairs throughout the district as one of several initiatives.

Sewell, who seeks a third term, said she sponsored several bills in Congress to enhance opportunities, but was frank in her forecast for sweeping legislation.

"The political reality in this Congress is that as a Democrat in a Republican-controlled Congress, those probably won't go anywhere," she said. "So I've concentrated on local initiatives like annual job fairs and realizing that this district is vast and there's no one size fits all."

Sewell said she has been successful in collaborating with two-year colleges for job training through her project READY, a workforce development initiative launched last year.

Sewell also formed a Workforce Advisory Council composed of local employers, nonprofits and state and educational institutions that focus on career training and development.

Johnson has panned Sewell's job fairs, questioning the placement rate, costs and overall success of the highly public events. Instead, Johnson proposed what she called a "tripartite approach"' to job recruitment: infrastructure, training and transportation.

"I'm not really a proponent of the job fair kind of category because there are so many moving parts," Johnson said. "You've got to be able to have the infrastructure in place when you're trying to seek people to come to the state.

"I believe in a collaborative effort, and there's investment and buy-in as well."

Johnson said that the district, because of its diverse nature, requires a dynamic approach to development. Needs in urban Birmingham are much different than in the Black Belt rural areas.

The election is June 3.

2.      "How we've tried to address the job situation is head-on with a results-oriented solution," Sewell said, noting her series of job fairs throughout the district as one of several initiatives. (direct – past perfect)

3.      Sewell, who seeks a third term, said she sponsored several bills in Congress to enhance opportunities, but was frank in her forecast for sweeping legislation. (indirect – simple past)

4.      "The political reality in this Congress is that as a Democrat in a Republican-controlled Congress, those probably won't go anywhere," she said (direct – simple past)

5.      Sewell said she has been successful in collaborating with two-year colleges for job training through her project READY, a workforce development initiative launched last year. (indirect – prefect continus)

New faces join Indonesia’s Thomas and Uber Cup teams

The Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) has decided to include new talent in its 20-strong team for the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup championships, which will take place from May 18 to May 25 in New Delhi, India.

Among the new names is Ihsan Maulana Mustofa, who will turn 19 in November. As the youngest player in the Thomas Cup team, PBSI has high hopes that Ihsan — who brought home a bronze medal during the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships last year — will be able to help the team snatch the coveted trophy.

“I was surprised to be included in the team because there are many senior players,” Ihsan said on Wednesday.

Ihsan was chosen from 33 candidates, ousting 2007 World Championships silver medalist Sony Dwi Kuncoro, and more experienced players such as Wisnu Yuli Prasetyo and Riyanto Subagja.

As Indonesia aims to bring home the Thomas Cup, the men’s team will be spearheaded by men’s singles world number five Tommy Sugiarto as well as the world’s top men’s doubles team Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan.

The last time Indonesia won the Thomas Cup was in 2002 in Guangzhou, China, by defeating Malaysia 3-2. Since then, Indonesia only managed to reach the final in 2010, bowing down to China 3-0.

Indonesian is in Group A with Thailand, Nigeria and Singapore, while defending champion China is in Group D with Chinese Taipei, Russia and France.

Last tournament’s runner-up South Korea is in Group C with Malaysia, Germany and host India. Group B consists of Japan, Denmark, Hong Kong and Britain.

During the 10-day simulation program for the Thomas Cup in Kudus, Central Java, last March, Ihsan outplayed Sony in a straight game 21-19, 21-18.

“I don’t know why I was chosen, but I am grateful for the trust they put in me and I hope I can contribute to the team should I play in the tournament,” he said.

According to team manager Christian Hadinata, they selected the players based on several factors, not only experience but also improvement over the last few months.

“They all are good players but since we have limited quota [only 10 players each for Thomas Cup and Uber Cup], we can only choose 10 players [out of 33]. Hopefully with this team, we can bring back the Thomas Cup,” he said.

As for the Uber Cup team, captain Adriyanti Firdasari will be fighting to bring back the title after a hiatus of 18 years, as it was last won by Indonesian in 1996 in Hong Kong.

“I really did not expect to be selected for the Uber Cup team this year. But I’m grateful. Therefore, the team members and I will give our best to Indonesia,” she said.

Firda, as she is affectionately called, left the PBSI training camp in Cipayung, East Jakarta, in January after struggling with a foot injury over the past two years. Skipping several tournaments due to the injury, her world ranking dropped to 82 from 31 in September 2013. Her highest ranking was 15 in 2009.

Fifth-ranked Indonesian is in Group B with runner-up Korea, Australia and Singapore. Defending champion China is in group A with Chinese Taipei, Britain and Singapore. Group C consists of host India, Thailand, Canada and Hong Kong while group D comprises of Japan, Denmark, Malaysia and Germany.

6.      we can only choose 10 players [out of 33]. Hopefully with this team, we can bring back the Thomas Cup,” he said ( Direct - Modals )

7.      But I’m grateful. Therefore, the team members and I will give our best to Indonesia,” she said ( Direct - Simple Future )

Professors: Becker changed economic thought

Pottsville-born Nobel prize-winning economist Gary S. Becker profoundly influenced economics by using its rational analysis to study ordinary human behavior, several economics professors said Monday.
"He was able to take economic concepts and apply them to topics people had not used economic analysis on," said Margarita Rose, chairwoman of the economics department at King's College, Wilkes-Barre.
Those topics included marriage and even suicide, she said.
"He looked at that decision making from an economic point of view," said Rose, who has used Becker's study on the market for marriage in her class. "I think he applied economics to social topics like suicide. That was something no one had done before."
Becker, 83, a professor of economics and sociology at the University of Chicago, died Saturday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago. He received his Nobel Prize in economic sciences in 1992 for applying principles from his field to a variety of human behaviors, including marriage, child-bearing and crime.
He was born on Dec. 2, 1930, in Pottsville, a son of Louis and Anna Becker. His father operated Becker's Army and Navy Store, 319 N. Centre St., before the family moved to Mount Holly, New Jersey, when the future Nobel Laureate was 4 or 5 years old.
Farhad Saboori, a professor of economics at Albright College, Reading, said that before Becker, economists tended to shy away from issues of right and wrong.
"Economists have traditionally found it easier to deal with issues from a positive point of view," he said.
Becker, however, broke that mold, using economic tools to deal with issues traditionally believed to be noneconomic ones, Saboori said.
"It was controversial," Saboori said. "He was able to bring very powerful tools of economic analysis to social problems of society. He provided a very rich field of research."
Saboori said he, like Rose, uses Becker's writings in his classes.
"I use of lot of his (work)," Saboori said. "I do use a lot of his approach."
One of Saboori's colleagues, Associate Professor of Economics Lisa Wilder, also thinks Becker continues to have significant influence on economic thought.
"Becker was revolutionary in the way he applied economic thinking to questions traditionally outside of economics. His methods and applications are important today as tools to understand important decisions we make and to help us devise effective social policies," she said. "He looked at important issues like discrimination and education and put social questions in the framework that economists use to approach many different topics. He considered marriage, the impact of changing women's roles on fertility, the reasons for continuing discrimination and crime."
Bloomsburg University Professor of Economics Nakul Kumar also said Becker's work broke new ground.
"Becker was a pioneer in using tools of economic analysis to study ... decisions of individuals," he said.
One example Kumar cited was in discrimination, where Becker showed that those who discriminate in a free-market economy will suffer because of their actions.
M. Halim Dalgin, a professor of economics at Kutztown University, disagrees with some of Becker's conclusions but acknowledges his importance. Becker's teaching of both economics and sociology is no coincidence in Dalgin's eyes.
"He's the guy ... in the juncture of economics and sociology," Dalgin said of Becker. "He got into family life, why women get into the workforce. These are the topics not in the usual economic agenda."
Dalgin said Becker's analyses assumed people behaved rationally, and that is where he parts company with him.
"We are more than calculating machines," he said. "There are so many other factors. Is everything really reducible to dollars?"
Wilder said Becker holds a powerful influence at Albright.
"His methods and examples are commonly used throughout our economics classrooms as they both demonstrate the power of economic thinking and help us understand issues and questions that are relevant to every person," she said.

8.      Those topics included marriage and even suicide, she said.(indirect – simple present)

9.      "Economists have traditionally found it easier to deal with issues from a positive point of view," he said. (direct- modals)

10.  "We are more than calculating machines," he said. "There are so many other factors. Is everything really reducible to dollars?" (direct – present continues)