According to the International Cooperative Alliance, a cooperative is a “jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise.” But, beneath this definition lie rich notions of voluntary association, accountability for strategic decisions, and concern for the communities that cooperatives serve.
国际合作联盟将合作社定义为“共同经营，民主管理的企业”。但是，在这个定义下还隐含着这些理念，自愿联合并且承担战略决策责任，关心合作社所服务的社区。