Both partnerships and utility cooperatives are businesses owned by a group of people. In a partnership, the owners are called partners and they share in the profits and losses of the business. In a utility cooperative, the owners are called members and they share in the profits and losses of the business.

In both partnerships and utility cooperatives, the owners have an equal say in how the business is run. This is in contrast to a dictatorship, a military organization, or a monarchy, where the power is held by a single person or group of people.