Editing Catalyst hub
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then publish the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
Community-serving buildings that serve as neighborhood destinations for innovation culture - designed, governed and owned by local communities as cooperatives, based on the [[solidarity cooperative]] framework. | |||
=Defining a cooperative= | |||
A [[cooperative]] enthusiast would probably say that ANY organization that is committed to and practices cooperative principles is a cooperative. A corporate lawyer would say that a cooperative must be formed under a cooperative statute. A tax lawyer would say it doesn’t matter what statute it’s formed under as long as it “operates cooperatively” as that term is defined in tax law. | |||
The basic (non-legal) cooperative principles according to the International Cooperative Alliance are: | |||
1. Voluntary and open membership | |||
2. Democratic member control | |||
3. Member economic participation | |||
4. Autonomy and independence | |||
5. Education, training, and information | |||
6. Co-operation among cooperatives | |||
7. Concern for community | |||
See Appendix: ‘Cooperative Principles’ for details of each | |||
=Societal Benefits= | =Societal Benefits= | ||
Line 55: | Line 68: | ||
<br> | <br> | ||
=Cooperative | =Cooperative Principles= | ||
The basic (non-legal) cooperative principles according to the International Cooperative Alliance are: | |||
# Voluntary and open membership: Cooperatives are voluntary organizations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political, or religious discrimination. | |||
# Democratic member control: Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting their policies and making decisions. Men and women serving as elected representatives are accountable to the membership. In primary cooperatives, members have equal voting rights (one member, one vote), and cooperatives at other levels are also organized in a democratic manner. | |||
# Member economic participation: Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative. At least part of that capital is usually the common property of the cooperative. Members usually receive limited compensation, if any, on capital subscribed as a condition of membership. Members allocate surpluses for any or all of the following purposes: developing their cooperative, possibly by setting up reserves, part of which at least would be indivisible; benefiting members in proportion to their transactions with the cooperative; and supporting other activities approved by the membership. | |||
# Autonomy and independence: Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members. If they enter into agreements with other organizations, including governments, or raise capital from external sources, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their cooperative autonomy. | |||
# Education, training, and information: Cooperatives provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers, and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives. They inform the general public—particularly young people and opinion leaders—about the nature and benefits of co-operation. | |||
# Co-operation among cooperatives: Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional, and international structures. | |||
# Concern for community: Cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies approved by their members. |