Deng Guosheng | Social enterprises are new forces to participate in rural revitalization

On July 13, 2022, the "Social Enterprise and Rural Rural Village "Revitalization" symposium was held in Beijing. The theme of this conference is "giving play to the advantages of social enterprises and helping the rural revitalization strategy", and in -depth discussing how social enterprises can better help rural revitalization strategies.

Professor Deng Guosheng, deputy dean of the School of Public Management of Tsinghua University, gave a keynote speech on "Social Enterprises are the new forces participating in rural revitalization".

1. Why does the rural revitalization of our country need new organizational methods

The reason why rural revitalization needs to have a new organizational method is several aspects:

First, the market logic itself has limitations. The going to the countryside to the countryside can indeed promote the integration of the three industries in rural areas, enrich the economic format of the countryside, and accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas. It does have a very active role in this regard. However, the going to the countryside to the countryside can easily lead to non -agriculturalization, non -graining and other phenomena, and destroying cultivated land. After all, market logic is mainly economic benefits, and the attention of social and environmental benefits is definitely not enough. The main goal of rural rejuvenation is the wealth of farmers. This is the goal of society, and market logic often does not take the initiative to take this as the main goal.

Second, not only the market logic has its limitations, but also has its limitations of public welfare logic. The limitations of public welfare logic are mainly manifested in two aspects. One is that enterprises participate in the limitations of rural revitalization in the way of fulfilling social responsibility. At the stage of poverty alleviation, enterprises actively participated and their role was obvious. However, due to the long period of time of rural revitalization, the wide range of coverage, and more content, the industry is prosperous, the rural civilization, the ecological livable, effective governance, and rich life are all aspects of rural revitalization. The company's participation in rural revitalization by fulfilling social responsibility, the requirements for funds and manpower will obviously be much more than participating in poverty alleviation. The reason is also very simple. The goal of enterprises participating in poverty alleviation is relatively single, which is "two -don't worry and three guarantees". The time is relatively short. The requirements for enterprises will be very high, so companies sometimes lack the motivation to continue to participate in rural revitalization.

The public welfare charitable organizations will also face difficulties in participating in rural revitalization. The main difficulty is that the charity organization has feelings, but lacks sustainable resources. Therefore, this is also a major reason for our country's charity organization to participate in rural revitalization.

Because of this, my country's rural revitalization needs to seek new impetus. After all, the market will fail and public welfare will fail. And this new organizational model is a mixed organization -social enterprises. Although the definitions of social enterprises are very different, the basic characteristics still have some consensus. One is the original intention of the establishment of the organization to solve social problems, not for the profit of the enterprise itself. Of course, in order to ensure that the mission of social enterprises does not drift, there may also be a guarantee of some systems. For example, the organization's public welfare goals are clearly organized in the articles of association. Drift, such as a vote of veto, and so on. Second, social enterprises must adopt market methods to operate, and can provide market recognition products or services for the society. The main income is at least 50%of the market. Only such social enterprises can realize self -hematopoietic and achieve financial sustainability Essence

Social enterprises have advantages in participating in rural rejuvenation, and they will also have its limitations. Its advantage is that it aims at public welfare and can reduce bad behaviors such as destruction. Compared with the market logic, it can pay more attention to the balance of socio -economic and environmental benefits. Just like what I just said, it can pay more attention to the wealth of farmers and can take into account the balance of all aspects. Especially the main goal of rural revitalization is the wealth of people's lives. Increasing the income of farmers, social enterprises are just like Vice Chairman Liu Wenkui just said, which can more effectively balance the goal balance of socioeconomic and economy, especially the ecological environment. Second, the advantage of social enterprises lies in its commercialization, so compared with public welfare logic, it can reduce dependence on excessive donation resources. Third, it can explore a new industrial method. We will find during the research process. For example, Bi Xiang Agriculture is to help develop industries in the underdeveloped regions because of its mixed organizational characteristics, its public welfare goals and the goals and its public welfare goals and Take into account the efficiency of economic benefits, forcing it to create unique innovative brands and sales platforms to help underdeveloped regions to improve the industrial chain. As a relatively successful social enterprise, the Shanpin Commune also forced it to cultivate and cultivate cooperatives through talent training and cultivation in the process. It can truly empower villagers and help villagers to become rich.

Social enterprises will also have its limitations. The first limit is that because of the goals of the social environment, we need to bear some additional social costs. For example, we will find that in the process of investigation, phoenixes are helping farmers employment in underdeveloped regions to employment In the process, we must bear a lot of extra training costs. Housekeeping companies in the market generally recruit people with relatively high qualities to train, but because Phoenix is ​​a social enterprise at home, it is often considered that this person must be underdeveloped areas, but farmers in underdeveloped areas are often quality. Relatively low, so the cost of training will be much higher than that of housekeeping companies in some markets, so it needs to bear some additional social costs. On the other hand, social enterprises must take into account both public welfare and business, so it is difficult to manage, and the requirements for managers will be very high. Third, social enterprises should take into account the balance of social, economic, and environmental, so it is difficult to achieve the balance and loss balance. At least in the short term, it is difficult to achieve. It requires a longer process. In the development process People, need for additional support from the government. Just like Bi Xiang Agriculture, in the early days of development, in fact, it also relied on the consumption of the employees of Country Garden to help them develop. In the early days of the development of the Shanpin Commune, the donation funds depended on society, so It takes a long time to achieve the balance of profit and loss. 2. The basic situation of Chinese social enterprises participating in rural revitalization

From 2007 to 2016, the total amount of social organizations in my country increased rapidly, from 387,000 to 702,000, an average annual increase of 8.14%. In the process, the number of social organizations involved in agriculture and rural areas has only increased from 37,100 to 62,500, with an average annual increase of lower than the average increase. In addition, the proportion of social organizations participating in agriculture and rural areas also declined, from 9.58%in 2007 to 8.9%. Since the Ministry of Civil Affairs did not announce this data after 2016, at least the data from 2007-2016 data We can also find that the overall proportion of social organizations participating in the "agriculture and rural areas" is a downward trend, which means that the challenge of participating in agricultural and rural social organizations is very large.

In addition to entering the countryside for social organizations, it will face great challenges, and it will also face great challenges for social enterprises. Our survey shows that there are less than 100 social enterprises in the field of rural rejuvenation in my country. "Conscious social enterprise" is that he thinks he is a social enterprise, and others also think that he is a social enterprise. Such a social enterprise we call "conscious" social enterprise. However, the most successful social enterprise in China is just the field of rural revitalization. On the one hand, it shows that the number is still very small. On the other hand, it also shows that the field of rural revitalization has a broad future.

As of the end of 2020, we have more than 2.24 million farmers' cooperatives registered in accordance with the law. In many countries, cooperatives are actually a quasi -social enterprise, or even social enterprises. Therefore, it can be seen from this perspective that although there are very few social enterprises in our country, there are very few social enterprises in our country, and there are fewer rural revitalization fields, but the development of social enterprises in the field of rural rejuvenation in the future still has great potential.

3. How to promote social enterprises to participate in rural revitalization?

Since the concept of "social enterprise" entered China in 2006, social enterprises have stayed in the circle and have not broken the circle. The society has a very low perception of it. Therefore, many people think that if you do n’t just do public welfare, or do business, you do n’t recognize this mixed organizational model. Therefore, in order to promote social enterprises to participate in rural revitalization, we must first increase publicity and improve the knowledge of social enterprises in the whole society. It is recognized that social enterprises have unique value to participate in rural revitalization. Only such social enterprises will have true development prospects in the future.

Second, the development of social enterprises is also inseparable from the government's support. On the one hand, the government requires the government to increase the intensity of the incubation and cultivation of social enterprises. It is also inseparable from the donation of society and the support of government policies. We are very pleased to see the "Opinions on Promoting the Development of Social Enterprises" at the first provincial level in Beijing in 2022. Support in all aspects. We also recommend that the national level can attach great importance to the unique role of social enterprises to participate in rural revitalization, and can introduce corresponding support policies, such as promulgating guidance to promote social enterprises to participate in rural revitalization.

Third, in the survey, we will find that social enterprises created by large enterprises and large foundations are easier to succeed, so we also call on large enterprises and large foundations to initiate the establishment of social enterprises more. Participate in rural revitalization. After all, large enterprises can easily obtain the support of the mother's hardware and software to establish a social enterprise. It fully uses the support of the mother's management system, network resources and platforms, and can even get the support of the social donation funds of the mother. Therefore, the establishment of social enterprises initiated by large enterprises and large foundations can often achieve leapfrog development. For example, Zhonghe Agricultural Credit and Shanpin Commune were initiated by China ’s largest rural development foundation, like Bi Xiangxiang Social enterprises such as agriculture, Phoenix to home, etc., the National Fa Literature Tourism was initiated by Country Garden. We will find that these large enterprises and foundations will be easier to success in the establishment of social enterprises, so we also look forward to these large enterprises. Social enterprises to fulfill social responsibility. Fourth, we should still encourage more public welfare investment funds and social investment funds to pay more attention to the development of social enterprises. Over the years, many places have established many public welfare investment funds, which are mainly used to support the development of social organizations. We believe that in addition to supporting the development of social organizations, public welfare venture capital funds and social investment funds can focus on the social enterprises. Investment.

Fifth, we must encourage young people to innovate and entrepreneurship in social enterprises. In recent years, the state proposed "mass innovation and entrepreneurship" and encouraged innovation and entrepreneurship. Now it is more business entrepreneurship. I think the future direction is to encourage young people and encourage college students not only to business entrepreneurship, but also more people can conduct public welfare public welfare Entrepreneurship, including social enterprises, innovate entrepreneurship, we should encourage more returning people to participate in and promote rural revitalization in the way of social enterprises. I think this is also an important direction for future development.

Only in this way, in the future, social enterprises in our country will grow more and more vigorously, and social enterprises will truly become an important new force in rural revitalization.

- END -