Anu Puusa: The case for co-ops, the invisible giant of the economy | TED

Transcriber:

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

I'm so happy and proud to be here.

很高興也很榮幸來到這裡。

When I told my husband about this wonderful opportunity,

當我向我先生提起 這個美好的機會時，

he said, "TED Talk? Wow, I get to do that a lot around here.

他說：「TED 演說？

哇，這裡常常都是 我在做 TED 演說，

It's finally someone else's turn."

終於要換人來做了。」

So, yes, I happen to be married to a wonderful man named Ted,

是的，我剛好嫁給了一個 叫泰德（TED）的好男人，

which is pretty rare in Finland, where I'm from.

這名字在我的家鄉芬蘭很少見。

It's not a typical Finnish name at all, trust me.

相信我，它完全不是 典型的芬蘭名字。

Myself, I'm a business professor, and I love teaching.

我自己是商學教授，我熱愛教書。

But you know what?

但是你知道嗎？ 我的學生都忍無可忍了，

My students are fed up,

they're really fed up with the way business is screwing up the environment

他們真的無法再忍受 商業繼續亂搞環境，

and making wealth inequality worse,

讓貧富差距更大，

and putting money and profits above all else.

還把賺錢和利潤看得 比其他一切都還重。

And what really makes them mad

有次他們真的抓狂了，

is when I tell them about the cooperative movement.

因為我告訴了他們合作運動的資訊。

They're angry,

他們很生氣，

because once they understand how cooperatives work,

因為一旦他們了解了 合作社如何運作，

they feel like a secret solution has been kept hidden.

他們覺得這個秘密解決方案 一直以來都被隱藏著。

Before I tell you more about why cooperatives are so great,

在我進一步告訴各位 合作社為什麼這麼棒之前，

I want to explain what they are.

我想先解釋合作社是什麼。

A cooperative is an organization that is owned by its members,

合作社是一種組織， 所有權歸其會員，

who are also its customer and decision maker.

會員同時也是合作社的 客戶和決策者。

And unlike most businesses,

且和大部分公司不同，

where certain owners can buy more power and influence,

公司的某些所有人能買到 更多的權力和影響力，

in a cooperative, every member has one vote,

在合作社裡，每個會員都有一票，

which was a revolutionary idea back when the model was first introduced.

在這個模型最早被提出時， 這個想法是個大變革。

A regular man, not to mention a woman,

每個男人，更不用說女人，

with no significant means or a prestigious position in a society,

在社會中沒有有效方法或顯赫地位，

as an owner, an equal partner in business?

也能成為公司的所有人， 平起平坐的合夥人？

Unheard of.

前所未有。

Perhaps it's still a bit revolutionary.

可能至今都還有點算得上是變革。

Cooperatives exist in a sweet spot

合作社存有個理想的定位，

between the for-profit and nonprofit worlds.

位在營利世界與非營利世界之間。

Their uniqueness is based on the idea of duality.

它們的獨特性立基在 二元的概念之上。

They have two distinct but complementary roles.

它們有兩個明顯不同 卻又互補的角色。

On one hand, they act like any other business

一方面，

它們和公司一樣試著賺錢。

and try to make money.

But on the other hand, cooperatives are and do so much more.

但另一方面，合作社的本質 和功能遠不止這些。

They are people-centered enterprises run by and for their members,

它們是以人為中心的企業，

由會員營運、為會員營運，

and they try to achieve economical, but also social and cultural goals

它們不僅努力達成經濟目標，

還有社會目標及文化目標，

to benefit those members who are just regular people,

這麼一來會員也能夠受益， 因為會員只是一般人，

like you and me.

和你我沒兩樣。

And what has happened for almost 200 years

而近兩百年來的狀況是，

is that cooperatives have proven to make decisions

合作社證明了它們在做決策時,

with a view across generations, instead of quarter-to-quarter,

能考量不同的世代，

而非每季每季做決策，

to benefit more people

讓更多人受益，

and to anchor wealth in communities

把財富留在本來可能

that might not otherwise attract investment,

無法吸引投資的社區，

while still being competitive and innovative.

同時還能保持競爭力和創新。

Sounds pretty good, right?

聽起來很不錯，對吧？

I guess that's why, at the end of a class the other day,

我想這就是為什麼

有一天在課後，有位學生

a student, all red and jazzed up, basically shouted at me.

滿臉通紅很激動，基本上 可說是對著我大叫。

"I've always been a straight A student,

「我一直是成績全是 A 的學生，

done all the work, read all the books,

該做的都做了，該讀的都讀了，

and now you're telling me that all my life,

而現在你告訴我，我這一生

I've missed hearing about a movement with this magnitude?"

竟然漏掉沒聽過這麼重大的運動？」

I get this a lot.

常有人這樣對我說。

The organized cooperative movement started in 1844,

有組織的合作社運動

始於 1844 年，

with the [Rochdale Equitable Pioneers’ Society].

由羅虛戴爾公平先鋒社發起。

This was a group of weavers and artisans

這個團體的成員是織布工和工匠，

who, out of desperation, opened a store together,

他們在絕望之餘，一起開了一間店，

to sell things that they could neither get nor afford alone.

銷售他們無法靠自己一個人 取得或負擔的東西。

The cooperative movement spread from there

合作社運動

從那裡開始散播出去， 成了全球性的現象。

and became a global phenomenon.

Many of the modern-day credit unions and farm credit systems

現代在北美有許多信用合作社

you see in North America

和農業信用體系

are descendants of the famous cooperative Raiffeisen system in Germany.

是從德國著名的雷發巽 合作社系統衍伸出來的。

And here in Finland, a man named Hannes Gebhard

在芬蘭，

漢內斯·格布哈德被認為是

is considered to be the father of the Finnish cooperative movement.

芬蘭合作社運動之父。

In the 19th century, he introduced cooperatives

十九世紀時，他推動合作社，

to help people tackle debt, poverty and unemployment.

來協助人民處理債務、

貧困，及失業問題。

It turns out this is the foundation

結果證明，這成了國家的基礎，

of a country known for its democratic values,

且這個國家知名的特色 包括民主價值、

high-quality education

高品質教育，

and the happiness of its citizens.

以及公民的快樂。

And this line of impact of the cooperative movement

而合作社運動的一連串影響

can be found in other places in the world too.

在世界上的其他地方也能找到。

I'm proud to say that in relative terms,

我很驕傲能夠說，

相對而言，

Finland is one of the most cooperative countries in the world.

芬蘭是世界上合作社 最盛行的國家之一。

We have about 5.5 million people

我們的人口數約為五百五十萬，

who have over seven million memberships

人民有超過七百萬個 合作社會員資格，

in cooperatives that run everything from groceries to banks.

從雜貨合作社到銀行合作社都有。

Each time I shop at our grocery cooperative,

每次我到我們的雜貨合作社採買時，

when I fill in my gas tank,

當我把油箱加滿時，

eat at our jointly owned restaurants, stay at a hotel

到我們共同擁有的餐廳用餐時， 住飯店時，買衣服時，

or buy clothes or hardware stuff,

或買硬體時，

I get bonuses that can be up to five percent.

就能賺到最高 5% 的紅利。

And when I pay with our cooperative's bank card,

當我用我們合作社銀行 發行的卡付款時，

I get an additional half percent off.

還有額外 0.5% 的折扣。

And I know that when the cooperative is doing well,

我知道，當合作社經營得很好時，

it's not funding a single person's luxury vacation in the Bahamas.

它不是只資助一個人到 巴哈馬渡假的豪華行程。

Every year, a governance body comprised of elected representatives

每年，

由選出的代表所組成的管理團體

decides how any operating surplus will be used.

會決定營運的盈餘要如何運用。

Some of the money will go back to the members.

有些錢會回饋給會員。

For example, this year, our consumer cooperative,

比如，今年，

我們的消費合作社 Pohjois-Karjalan Osuuskauppa，

Pohjois-Karjalan Osuuskauppa,

or PKO, as we call it --

也就是我們簡稱的 PKO——

is part of the S Group,

它是 S 集團的一部分，

which is the biggest cooperative group in Finland --

S 集團是芬蘭最大的合作社集團——

they had a surplus of two percent on members' purchases,

其會員購物的盈餘是 2%，

and 12 percent return on money invested.

投資的報酬是 12%。

When you add up the savings and the return,

如果把省下的錢和報酬加起來，

my family received more than 2,000 euros back,

我的家庭就拿回了超過兩千歐元，

which is more than we spend on groceries in one month.

這比我們每個月 花在雜貨的錢還要多。

Not to mention that our groceries are about seven percent cheaper

更不用說我們的雜貨

還比主要競爭對手的 價格便宜約 7%。

than its main competitor.

I'm a member-owner in three cooperatives,

我是三家合作社的會員－所有人，

and my husband has four memberships:

我先生有四個會籍：

a consumer, a bank, an insurance and a water cooperative.

消費合作社、銀行合作社、

保險合作社、水合作社。

We have two beautiful girls who are 10 and 12 years old,

我們有兩個美麗的女兒， 分別為十歲和十二歲，

and they are also member-owners of the S Group.

她們也是 S 集團的會員－所有人。

Their memberships cost us one hundred euros each.

她們的會籍成本是每個人一百歐元。

We want to pass on the legacy

我們想要早點傳承，

and teach them about the benefits of cooperatives early on.

教導她們合作社的益處。

And of course,

且，當然，她們對於 合作資本的年息感到很滿意。

they are very happy about the yearly interest

on cooperative capital.

But it's not just about us getting money back.

但重點不只是我們能把錢拿回來。

It's about the greater good for our community.

重點是對於社區大我的益處。

I'm not only talking about taxes and employment,

我談的不只是稅務和就業，

even though our consumer cooperative is the biggest employer in the area.

雖然我們的消費合作社 是當地最大的僱主。

I'm talking about support for young people, sports, arts,

我在談的是支持年輕人、

運動、藝術、大學，及文化活動。

university and cultural events.

For example,

比如，

as a member of the board of PKO,

身為 PKO 的董事會成員，

a few years ago, we agreed to build a sports hall for Lieksa,

幾年前，

我們同意在列克薩建造運動中心，

which is a nearby city here, in the eastern part of Finland,

列克薩在芬蘭東部，和這裡很近，

belonging to our cooperative's operational area.

隸屬我們合作社的營運區域內。

After we built it,

建造好之後，

the city signed a very long-term rental agreement with us,

列克薩和我們簽了 一份非常長期的租約，

so financially, the investment made sense.

就財務面來說，這項投資很合理。

And of course, it was a major gesture to the local people,

當然，這也是對當地人 也有很重要的意義，

who now have proper facilities to do all kinds of sports.

現在他們有很理想的設施 可以做各種運動。

In another case,

另外有一次，

we ended up rejecting the investment proposal

我們最後是駁回了在鬧區建造

regarding building a senior house downtown.

老人住宅的投資提案。

The idea was a very good one, but we declined,

想法很好，

但我們拒絕了，因為 那是棟大型的住宅大樓，

because it was a big housing complex

requiring a lot of capital with a low expected investment return

需要大量資本，

預期的投資報酬很低，

that would only serve a small part of the membership,

只能服務一小部分的會員，

less than one percent of our over 100,000 members,

僅佔我們十萬多名會員的 1%，

and therefore, we decided against it.

因此，我們決定不支持。

In a cooperative, if we only emphasize profitability,

在合作社中，

如果我們只強調利潤，

the interests of the membership may quickly become secondary.

會員的利益很快就會退居次要。

On the other hand,

另一方面，如果考量太多

a situation where too much consideration

is given to the members' differing and changing interests

各種不同且不斷改變的會員利益，

may jeopardize business performance.

就可能危害到商業上的績效。

So therefore, finding a balance is important.

所以，找到平衡十分重要。

One role should not have priority over the other.

兩個角色沒有哪一個比較優先。

Metaphorically speaking,

打個比方，

cooperatives, by nature, have been given two solid feet,

合作社在本質上就有兩隻穩固的腳，

and as you know, it's much easier to stand on two feet than on one foot.

大家都知道，雙腳站立比單腳

容易許多。

Ensuring that is the board's most important task.

董事會最重要的工作 就是要確保這一點。

It is a very cool system.

它是個很酷的體系。

That balance means that cooperatives can help us

那樣的平衡就意味著 合作社能協助我們

meet ambitious environmental goals.

達成野心勃勃的環境目標。

In Finland, for example,

比如，在芬蘭，S 集團

S Group aims at carbon negativity by the year 2025.

設定的目標是在 2025 年 達成負碳排放量。

REScoop.eu, a network of 1,900 energy cooperatives

REScoop.eu

是由一千九百家 能源合作社組成的網路，

with way over one million members,

會員遠遠超過一百萬人，

is promoting community energy,

他們在提倡社區能源，

which is key to a decarbonized economy

是實現減碳經濟的關鍵之一，

and a crucial step in tackling climate change.

也是處理氣候變遷 所邁出的重要一步。

This is about more than windmills and solar panels.

重點不只是風車和太陽能板而已。

Community energy can help overcome the urban and rural divide

社區能源

有助於克服城鄉差距

and close the gap between north and south,

和縮小南北差距、

between rich and poor,

貧富的差距，

because it empowers local people.

因為它讓當地人更有能力。

Community energy leads to energy democracy,

社區能源能促成能源民主，

holding the promise of an economy and a society

讓經濟及社會的希望遠景

based on cooperation rather than competition

能立基在世界各地的合作上

within the boundaries of planet Earth.

而非競爭上。

What is so wonderful about the cooperative system worldwide

全球合作社體系的美好之處

is that while cooperatives may sell different products or services,

在於雖然合作社可能會 銷售不同的產品或服務，

the goal is still the same for all of them,

所有合作社的目標仍然一致，

to create sustainable businesses that benefit the people

創造出永續的事業，

能夠讓它們服務的人以及社區受益，

and the communities they serve, lasting for generations.

且世世代代下去。

This is also a significant global phenomenon,

這也是個重大的全球現象，

an invisible giant of the economy,

經濟的隱形巨人，

resonating so well with the values of regular people,

和一般人的價值觀非常能共鳴，

a form of business that recognizes

這種形式的商業，能夠認可

that we people have other motivations and interests

我們一般人有其他的動機和利益，

than purely and only economical ones.

不只是經濟面的。

Today, there are more than three million cooperatives around the world,

現今，全世界有 超過三百萬家合作社，

with over a billion members,

會員超過十億人，

employing 280 million people,

僱用了兩億八千萬人，

which is 20 percent more than multinational companies.

比跨國企業還要高 20%。

Cooperatives sell more than two trillion dollars' worth

合作社銷售超過

價值兩兆美金的商品和服務。

of goods and services.

That number is larger than the GDP of Canada.

這個數字比加拿大的 GDP 還高。

Doing good business and doing good at the same time

做好的生意

同時也做好事，是很棒的搭配，

really makes an excellent match,

and this really works, because it's all about participation.

且真的行得通，

因為重點就是參與。

And while having lots of people involved in any project

雖然任何計畫只要涉及很多人，

can often make things a little bit more complicated,

通常就會變得比較複雜一點，

we can also often get better and fairer outcomes.

但通常也能得到比較好、 比較公平的結果。

We can create better businesses, if we truly include the people they serve.

我們能創造出更好的商業，

只要能把其服務對象給納入。

When we Finns travel abroad,

當我們芬蘭人到國外時，

we tend to brag about our sauna, sisu, fresh air,

我們喜歡誇耀我們的桑拿浴、

堅毅、新鮮空氣、乾淨水， 以及無盡的森林。

clean waters and endless forests.

And of course, that the real Santa Claus comes from Finland.

當然，真正的聖誕老人來自芬蘭。

But what we really should be bragging about is our cooperatives.

但我們真正該誇耀的 是我們的合作社。

Because unlike capitalism, the cooperative movement is not broken.

因為，和資本主義不同，

合作社運動沒壞掉。

It just needs better marketing.

它只是需要更好的行銷。

Thank you.

謝謝。