Ideas worth spreading

The case for co-ops, the invisible giant of the economy

1,243,068 views | Anu Puusa • TED@BCG

Think capitalism is broken? Try cooperativism, says co-op enthusiast and researcher Anu Puusa. She lays out how cooperatives -- businesses owned, operated and controlled by their members -- can both make money and have a positive impact on the environment and local communities. With co-ops, Puusa says, doing good business and doing good at the same time becomes possible.

Think capitalism is broken? Try cooperativism, says co-op enthusiast and researcher Anu Puusa. She lays out how cooperatives -- businesses owned, operated and controlled by their members -- can both make money and have a positive impact on the environment and local communities. With co-ops, Puusa says, doing good business and doing good at the same time becomes possible.

This talk was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with BCG. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about the TED Institute.

Discover how cooperatives are building a better world.

Learn more about the effort to promote the cooperative business model in Europe.

About the speaker

Anu Puusa

Co-ops enthusiast

See speaker profile

Cooperative enthusiast Anu Puusa wants to spread the word about co-ops -- and their potential as a sustainable business model that achieves long-term social, economic and environmental goals.

| Explore

The work of George Jacob Holyoake

For example, The History of the Rochdale Pioneers (published 1857, updated in 1892); and The History of Co-operation (published in 1875 and 1879; combined and revised in 1906).

| Explore

The work of Ian Macpherson

For example, "Co-operative principles for the 21st century", published by the International Co-operative Alliance in 1995.

William Pascoe Watkins | Holyoake Books, 1986 | Book

Co-operative Principles: Today and Tomorrow

Anu Puusa, Mönkkönen Kaarina and Varis Antti | Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management, 2013 | Article

"Mission lost? Dilemmatic dual nature of co-operatives"

Anu Puusa, Kirsi Hokkila and Antti Varis | Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management, 2016 | Article

"Individuality vs. Communality – A new dual role of co-operatives?"

Anu Puusa and Saastamoinen Sanna | Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management, 2021 | Article

"Novel ideology, but business first?"

About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

Read more about the TED Institute

This talk was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with BCG. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about the TED Institute.

Discover how cooperatives are building a better world.

Learn more about the effort to promote the cooperative business model in Europe.