Journal of Participation and Employee Ownership最新文献

{"title":"EditorialLess-known supporters of workplace democracy","authors":"D. Ellerman, T. Gonza","doi":"10.1108/jpeo-06-2021-029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jpeo-06-2021-029","url":null,"abstract":"This paper collects together quotations and extracts from 19th and 20th century thinkers who were little-known for being supporters of workplace democracy.","PeriodicalId":354541,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Participation and Employee Ownership","volume":"59 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121060707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"On some alleged “problems” and alleged “solutions” in democratic firms","authors":"D. Ellerman","doi":"10.1108/jpeo-04-2020-0012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jpeo-04-2020-0012","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis paper will discuss two problems that have plagued the literature on the Ward-Domar-Vanek labor-managed firm (LMF) model, the perverse supply response problem and the horizon problem. The paper also discusses the solution to the horizon problem and the alleged “solution” of a membership market.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper so it analyzes the two problems and shows how they can be resolved. It also shows how one alleged “solution” (membership market) is based on several conceptual mistakes about the structure of rights in a democratic firm.FindingsThe perverse supply response is based on the assumption that the members of a democratic firm can expel for no cause some members when it would benefit the remaining members. It is shown that the same perverse behavior happens conceptually and historically in a conventional firm under the same assumptions. The horizon problem is resolved by the system of internal capital accounts (ICAs) that has been independently invented at least four times.Research limitations/implicationsThe idea of a democratic firm is quite often dismissed by conventional economists: “At first it seems like a good idea but unfortunately it is plagued by structural problems such as the perverse supply response and the horizon problem.” Hence it is important to see that the first is not a problem under ordinary assumptions and that the second is a solved problem.Practical implicationsThe perverse supply response problem can be reproduced in a conventional firm under similar assumptions, and the horizon problem is real problem for social or common ownership firms but is solved in the Mondragon-type worker cooperatives by the system of ICAs. This has been known and published since the early 1980s, but conventional economists ignore the solution and still cite it as an inherent structure problem of a democratic firm.Originality/valueIt has not been previously shown in the LMF literature that the perverse supply response can be reproduced in a conventional corporation under similar assumptions since the maximand for the conventional firm is not total market value but that value per current shareholder. The solution to the horizon problem using ICAs has long been “known” but never acknowledged in the conventional literature as if it was a necessary feature of workplace democracy. The idea of a membership market is analyzed and criticized.","PeriodicalId":354541,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Participation and Employee Ownership","volume":"50 11","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"120976036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The performance of consumers' cooperatives in America","authors":"John H. Pencavel","doi":"10.1108/jpeo-07-2020-0019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jpeo-07-2020-0019","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe purpose is to evaluate the performance of consumers' cooperatives in the United States over the last 100 years. This evaluation is based on an overlooked series of surveys undertaken by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics between 1920 and 1950. Where possible, the series are brought up to date.Design/methodology/approachThe surveys did not follow a single consistent organization. Therefore, the observations require rearrangement so that a single meaningful design is achieved.FindingsIn a number of instances, consumers' cooperatives have not merely survived but thrived. Indeed, some of their original and continuing methods of operation have been copied and adopted by firms that are not cooperatives.Originality/valueThe series constructed are original and singular. The author knows of no such comparable data.","PeriodicalId":354541,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Participation and Employee Ownership","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123396882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Participatory legal forms for public enterprises. How a group of affiliated public service organisations can help to overcome legal and institutional obstacles","authors":"A. Wulf","doi":"10.1108/jpeo-05-2019-0011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jpeo-05-2019-0011","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeIn some political and economic situations, it may be desirable to have a company that operates with a legal structure that is midway between the two extreme poles of the private sector (i.e. privatisation) and the public sector (i.e. nationalisation). In such situations none of the existing legal forms for private or public enterprises creates the institutional conditions necessary for a profitable, collectively owned enterprise. A possible solution to this problem is the participatory legal form of a group of affiliated public service organisations.Design/methodology/approachTaking a case study on the crisis-beset Berlin Brandenburg Airport Company (BER) as an example, the author examines how the proposed alternative legal form for collective enterprises could have improved the legal and institutional framework of the airport company.FindingsThe problems that arose with Berlin Brandenburg airport had multiple causes. Had the airport company adopted the legal form of a group of affiliated public service enterprises, it might have been better able to deal with many of its problems because the organisational structure would have been more suitable. The case study demonstrates that the improved governance framework offered by a group of affiliated public service enterprises could have reduced the likelihood of the large scale, spectacular failure of the project that occurred.Originality/valueA company that operates as collectively owned property is midway between the two extreme poles of private property and state property. In political and economic situations where such a solution is sought the question arises as to which legal or corporate form will provide the best conditions for successful management. The current lack of suitable available legal forms may be a factor in preventing the number of companies in collective ownership from increasing. The article points towards this gap and introduces the legal form of a group of affiliated public service enterprises, i.e. a collectively owned state consortium of social community interest enterprises.","PeriodicalId":354541,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Participation and Employee Ownership","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116534199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Countering the pedagogic hegemony of neo-liberalism in the workplace: a Freirean analysis of the contribution of union-led learning to enhanced worker participation in the UK","authors":"T. Bennett","doi":"10.1108/jpeo-10-2019-0026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jpeo-10-2019-0026","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically assess the degree to which current union learning strategy and practice in the UK can become a catalyst for greater activism and participation by their members in the workplace and beyond. To this end, the paper seeks to draw on the rich heritage of pedagogic theory and practice in adult education writing to bring a fresh perspective to a key aspect of industrial relations.Design/methodology/approachThrough a meta-analysis of the current literature on the role of union learning representatives, learning centres and the context of that learning, the paper seeks to enhance understanding of how such initiatives in addition to upskilling workers lead to members' greater enlightenment with respect to the asymmetric power relations within the workplace and society. Using a conceptual model devised by the author from Freirean theory, this potentially increased awareness of their position in the organisation and society leading to greater levels of subsequent activism and participation by these learners is then critically assessed.FindingsUtilising the radical perspective of Paulo Freire, the article critically analyses the key elements of current union learning strategies in the UK. The paper concludes that union pedagogy strategy not just often raises members' awareness, as Freire would advocate, of their “subordinate” position in society, but potentially also genuinely equips them with the skills, knowledge and understanding to challenge that position through subsequent union activism and, therefore, greater participation in decision-making in the workplace. Union-facilitated learning, it is argued, can also develop the skills and knowledge necessary to increase members' job security.Originality/valueTo the author's knowledge, this is the first time that a Freirean analysis has been applied to this key element of contemporary trade union strategy and practice. In particular, the study seeks to also go beyond most studies of union pedagogic approaches and focus on the learner's journey and how this may imbue a propensity to become more active in the union and, therefore, the workplace.","PeriodicalId":354541,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Participation and Employee Ownership","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130585478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Overcoming the capital investment hurdle in worker-controlled firms","authors":"G. Major, Jonathan Preminger","doi":"10.1108/jpeo-01-2019-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jpeo-01-2019-0001","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000Both the academic literature and practitioners have long noted the need for an equity investment mechanism for worker-controlled firms that alleviates investor anxieties without undermining internal workplace democracy. The purpose of this paper is to outline one such possible mechanism.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The proposal locks together the interests of workers and external investors, via non-voting shares with dividends set by a pre-agreed value-added sharing formula. Each worker is paid a base wage, with the average across the firm being a pre-defined multiple of the national minimum wage. Any additional surplus is split into a number of equal “slices”, with each share receiving one slice as its dividend, and the average worker receiving a pre-agreed number of slices as a bonus.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Workers have an incentive to maximise their own incomes, and in so doing, will also automatically maximise the dividends received by investors, obviating the need for the shares to have normal voting rights. Working on this principle of aligned interests, the authors also discuss reinvestment, worker ownership of non-voting shares and possibilities for a secondary share market. The authors show how this proposal will be a significant step in aligning the interests of investors with owner-workers in a democratic, negotiated way that shares both risk and returns, thus making worker-controlled firms more attractive to equity investment.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000In light of the recognised problem of underinvestment in worker-controlled firms and the risk of their degeneration, this paper will interest both academics and practitioners in employee ownership, co-operatives and various forms of workplace democracy.\u0000","PeriodicalId":354541,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Participation and Employee Ownership","volume":"25 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133711636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A special issue on workplace representation and its implications for workers and employers","authors":"A. Bryson, L. Bellmann","doi":"10.1108/JPEO-06-2019-025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/JPEO-06-2019-025","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":354541,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Participation and Employee Ownership","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115626311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Do works councils improve the quality of apprenticeship training? Evidence from German workplace data","authors":"Benno Koch, Samuel Muehlemann, H. Pfeifer","doi":"10.1108/JPEO-12-2017-0009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/JPEO-12-2017-0009","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeWorks councils have the legal right to participate in a firm’s training process and, where necessary, call for a replacement of training instructors. The purpose of this paper is to empirically test whether works councils are associated with a higher quality of apprenticeship training – or its inputs or outputs – in Germany.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use two representative cross-sectional surveys of German workplaces in 2007 and 2012/2013 that were conducted by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training in Germany. To account for selection on observables, the authors apply nearest neighbor matching models to estimate the extent to which works councils are associated with training quality.FindingsThe results shed light on the influence of works councils on the quality of apprenticeship training in Germany. Based on a quality model, the authors show that works councils are associated with a (moderately) higher output quality of apprenticeships, particularly with respect to the share of retained apprentices. However, the authors do not find empirical evidence for a positive association between works councils and input- and process-quality indicators.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the identification of causal effects due to the existence of works councils is difficult and cannot be fully addressed in the analysis, the authors can use a number of important control variables at the workplace level. The results suggest that a works council only plays a moderate role in enhancing the quality of the German apprenticeship system.Originality/valueThe authors provide the first direct empirical evidence of how the existence of a works council is associated with the input-, process- and outcome-quality measures of the German apprenticeship system.","PeriodicalId":354541,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Participation and Employee Ownership","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125797640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Profit sharing and firm profitability","authors":"Matthias Strifler","doi":"10.1108/jpeo-02-2018-0007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jpeo-02-2018-0007","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000This purpose of this paper to examine how profit sharing depends on the underlying profitability of firms. More precisely, motivated by theoretical research on fair wages and unionized labor markets, profit sharing is estimated for six different profitability categories: positive, increasing, positive and increasing, negative, decreasing and negative or decreasing.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000The paper exploits a high-quality linked employer–employee data set covering the universe of Finnish workers and firms. Endogeneity of profitability and self-selection of firms in different profitability categories are accounted for by an instrumental variables approach. The panel-structure of the data is used to control for unobserved heterogeneity (spell and individual fixed effects).\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000Profits are shared if firms are profitable or become more profitable. The wage-profit elasticity varies between 0.03 and 0.13 in such firms. However, profits are not shared if firms make losses or become less profitable. There is no downward wage adjustment.\u0000\u0000\u0000Research limitations/implications\u0000Because of the instrumental variables approach the question of external validity arises. Further empirical research on profit sharing with an explicit focus on firm profitability is warranted. The results of the paper indicate a connection between rent sharing and wage rigidity, as suggested by union and fair wage theory.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000This is the first paper to consistently estimate the extent of profit sharing depending on the underlying profitability of firms.\u0000","PeriodicalId":354541,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Participation and Employee Ownership","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124403236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Do consumers value employee ownership? Evidence from an experimental auction","authors":"Philip Mellizo","doi":"10.1108/JPEO-10-2017-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/JPEO-10-2017-0001","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Purpose\u0000The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how the public at large perceives employee ownership, and how public perceptions of employee ownership translate into consumer valuation of goods and/or services produced by employee-owned firms. To the extent that consumer interest regarding the governance and ownership structure of firms matters in their purchasing decision, an employee-owned certification label could be an instrument by firms to segment consumer demand, differentiate products and potentially realize a competitive advantage.\u0000\u0000\u0000Design/methodology/approach\u0000Three specific questions are evaluated using the fifth price, experimental Vickrey valuation auction. First, the author obtains estimates of willingness to pay (WTP) premia for a specific item (coffee) differentiated in a controlled setting by the certifications labels that signal various non-market attributes. Specifically, the author examines the WTP premium for coffee that is eligible for the Certified Employee-OwnedSM label, the Fair Trade CertifiedTM Certified label, as well coffee that qualifies for both labels. Second, the author introduces a treatment to evaluate how the provision of information produced by the third party certifiers affects WTP estimates. And third, the author exploits the use of a controlled setting to evaluate how passive sensory information (i.e. taste) may influence the WTP valuation of the labels.\u0000\u0000\u0000Findings\u0000WTP premia for coffee carrying only the EO label only increase by 67 cents relative to conventional coffee, which was not significantly different from zero. Bids for both FT and EO&FT labeled coffee were, however, positive ($1.22 and $2.17, respectively) and are also statistically significant. The circulation of information to subjects about the certification programs resulted in increased bids. These bid differences were statistically significant for FT and EOFT coffee, but again, not for EO labeled coffee. Finally, differences in tastes did not appear to drive significant differences in bidding behavior, suggesting that WTP consumer decisions are strongly influenced by non-market attributes.\u0000\u0000\u0000Originality/value\u0000Marketers, economists and others have an interest in determining the monetary value individuals place on non-market goods for a variety of reasons; from forecasting new product success to understanding consumer and individual behavior. Unfortunately, many currently available stated preference techniques suffer from hypothetical bias while revealed preference techniques rely on indirect measures. Experimental auctions mitigate some of these issues since they involve individuals exchanging real money for real goods in an active market. WTP valuation has been conducted on a wide variety or products, but none that capture consumer valuation of employee ownership.\u0000","PeriodicalId":354541,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Participation and Employee Ownership","volume":"48 1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128914264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}