What is social ownership of the means of production?

Social ownership of the means of production refers to the ownership of the capital equipment and tools used in the production of goods and services by all of society. The concept of the "means of production" refers to large-scale capital goods and factor inputs that require social or collective effort to operate as opposed to personalized tools used in small-scale production, and thus often encompass the means of distribution and exchange.

It should be stated however, that "social ownership" is rarely used to define what is state socialism. In most discussions, this is described as "government ownership of the means of production".

Social ownership implies that the net product resulting from the production of goods and services accrues to all of society, with control of the means of production determined democratically by both users and workers who have a stake in their operation. There are generally two recognized forms of "social ownership", the first involving the proceeds generated by the use of the means of production being distributed among the worker-members of an individual organization; the second involving the proceeds of their operation being distributed to all members of society.

The second form of social ownership means society-wide ownership by a public institution distinguished from present-day states and governments as they exist under contemporary capitalism. This conception of social ownership is about distributing the economic surplus to the entire population as opposed to just those who make use of the tools of production.

Social ownership of the means of production is the major defining characteristic of socialism, which is frequently contrasted with capitalism and the concept of private ownership of the means of production.