What cooperatives are (and Aren't)

摘要

Many factors are converging to bring new lattention to the cooperative business model. Discussions about a possible role for co-ops as part of national health-care reform and an explosion of interest in local foods, farmers markets and community-supported agriculture and fisheries — which often employ co-op business models — have added to this attention. During the past 10 or 15 years, we've also seen many experiments with variations on the traditional co-op business model, as have occurred with some new-generation processing co-ops and producer-owned limited liability corporations (LLCs), including those involved in renewable energy production. As such, it is timely to take a fresh look at what a cooperative is and how it differs from an investor-owned business.