Worker Cooperatives and Democratic Governance
42 Pages Posted: 20 Oct 2012
Date Written: October 20, 2012
Abstract
A worker co-operative is a firm that is owned and managed by those who work in it. This paper provides a selective review of research in economics on worker cooperatives. It concentrates on the volatility of earnings and employment in the co-ops compared with conventional capitalist firms; on the long-term viability of co-ops; on the relative productive efficiency of co-ops; and on problems of democratic governance within co-ops. Using modern empirical methods applied to large numbers of observations, recent research has substantially enhanced our understanding of worker co-ops.
Keywords: worker cooperatives, comparative efficiency, viability
JEL Classification: J54
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation