The economics of worker cooperatives is a branch of economic inquiry with a long and esteemed pedigree, dating at least from the work of John Stuart Mill in the mid-nineteenth century. Since then, leading economists have paid intermittent attention to the topic, but the collapse of state-sponsored socialism in Eastern Europe and growing discontent with loosely-fettered capitalism have resulted in a resurgence of interest in worker co-operatives as a method of enhancing productivity and reducing income inequalities without heavy government regulation.
Professor Pencavel's judicious selection of articles by leading scholars conveys the vigour and rigour of this new empirical research. His original introduction provides an authoritative guide to past and current thinking in this topical area and raises important issues, which point the way for further contributions to the already rich literature.
The economics of worker cooperatives is a branch of economic inquiry with a long and esteemed pedigree, dating at least from the work of John Stuart Mill in the mid-nineteenth century. Since then, leading economists have paid intermittent attention to the topic, but the collapse of state-sponsored socialism in Eastern Europe and growing discontent with loosely-fettered capitalism have resulted in a resurgence of interest in worker co-operatives as a method of enhancing productivity and reducing income inequalities without heavy government regulation.
Professor Pencavel's judicious selection of articles by leading scholars conveys the vigour and rigour of this new empirical research. His original introduction provides an authoritative guide to past and current thinking in this topical area and raises important issues, which point the way for further contributions to the already rich literature.
Contents:
Acknowledgements
Introduction John Pencavel
PART I THE SETTING
1. Derek C. Jones (1976), ‘British Economic Thought on Association
of Laborers 1848–1974’
2. Gregory K. Dow (2003), ‘Workers’ Control in Action (I)’ and
‘Workers’ Control in Action (II)’
3. Derek C. Jones (1984), ‘American Producer Cooperatives and
Employee-Owned Firms: A Historical Perspective’
4. Robert A. Dahl (1985), ‘Democracy and the Economic Order’ and
‘The Right to Democracy Within Firms’
5. Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis (1993), ‘A Political and
Economic Case for the Democratic Enterprise’
6. John P. Bonin, Derek C. Jones and Louis Putterman (1993),
‘Theoretical and Empirical Studies of Producer Cooperatives: Will
Ever the Twain Meet?’
PART II ISSUES OF OWNERSHIP, FINANCING AND CHANGE
7. Louis Putterman (1993), ‘Ownership and the Nature of the
Firm’
8. Henry Hansmann (1990), ‘The Viability of Worker Ownership: An
Economic Perspective on the Political Structure of the Firm’
9. Eirik G. Furubotn (1976), ‘The Long-Run Analysis of the
Labor-Managed Firm: An Alternative Interpretation’
10. Jaroslav Vanek (1973), ‘Some Fundamental Considerations on
Financing and the Form of Ownership under Labor Management’
11. David P. Ellerman (1986), ‘Horizon Problems and Property Rights
in Labor-Managed Firms’
12. Avner Ben-Ner (1984), ‘On the Stability of the Cooperative Type
of Organization’
13. Hajime Miyazaki (1984), ‘On Success and Dissolution of the
Labor-managed Firm in the Capitalist Economy’
PART III ECONOMIC MODELS
14. Benjamin Ward (1958), ‘The Firm in Illyria: Market
Syndicalism’
15. Evsey D. Domar (1966), ‘The Soviet Collective Farm as a
Producer Cooperative’
16. Walter Y. Oi and Elizabeth M. Clayton (1968), ‘A Peasant’s View
of a Soviet Collective Farm’
17. Saul Estrin (1982), ‘Long-Run Supply Responses under
Self-Management’
18. A. Steinherr and J.-F. Thisse (1979), ‘Are Labor-Managers
Really Perverse?’
19. A.A. Brewer and M.J. Browning (1982), ‘On the “Employment”
Decision of a Labour-managed Firm’
20. Hajime Miyazaki and Hugh M. Neary (1985), ‘Output, Work Hours
and Employment in the Short Run of a Labour-Managed Firm’
21. Murat R. Sertel (1987), ‘Workers’ Enterprises are not
Perverse’
22. Jonathan Levin and Steven Tadelis (2005), ‘Profit Sharing and
the Role of Professional Partnerships’
PART IV SOME EMPIRICAL RESEARCH
23. John Pencavel and Ben Craig (1994), ‘The Empirical Performance
of Orthodox Models of the Firm: Conventional Firms and Worker
Cooperatives’
24. John Pencavel, Luigi Pistaferri and Fabiano Schivardi (2006),
‘Wages, Employment, and Capital in Capitalist and Worker-Owned
Firms’
25. Gabriel Burdín and Andrés Dean (2009), ‘New Evidence on Wages
and Employment in Worker Cooperatives Compared with Capitalist
Firms’
26. Ran Abramitzky (2011), ‘Lessons from the Kibbutz on the
Equality-Incentives Trade-Off’
Edited by John H. Pencavel, The Pauline K. Levin-Robert L. Levin and Pauline C. Levin-Abraham Levin Professor, School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University, US
‘The Economics of Worker Cooperatives, edited by John Pencavel, is
therefore a timely and important collection of theoretical and
empirical pieces of research. Pencavel’s collection includes
important classic writings on worker cooperatives and related
business forms such as some collectives, as well as more
contemporary commentaries and analyses. The range of selections is
quite balanced overall, especially in addressing risks as well as
advantages observed in the financial performance of worker
cooperatives. . . The Economics of Worker Cooperatives is an
excellent volume for anyone who wishes to become familiar with the
array of economic issues implicated in worker cooperatives.’
*Work, Employment and Society*
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
