1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910783113103321

Autore

Dow Gregory K. <1954->

Titolo

Governing the firm : workers' control in theory and practice / / Gregory K. Dow [[electronic resource]]

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge : , : Cambridge University Press, , 2003

ISBN

1-107-13549-4

1-280-16296-1

0-511-06139-0

0-511-12100-8

1-139-14865-6

0-511-05506-4

0-511-30865-5

0-511-61584-1

0-511-06985-5

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (xv, 323 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)

Disciplina

338.6

Soggetti

Industrial management - Employee participation

Employee ownership

Corporate governance

Industrial organization (Economic theory)

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 291-311) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Cover; Half-title; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; List of Tables and Figures; Preface; 1 Introduction; 2 Normative Perspectives; 3 Workers' Control in Action (I); 4 Workers' Control in Action (II); 5 Conceptual Foundations; 6 Explanatory Strategies; 7 A Question of Objectives; 8 Views from Economic Theory (I); 9 Views from Economic Theory (II); 10 Transitions and Clusters; 11 Toward a Synthesis; 12 Getting There from Here; References; Index

Sommario/riassunto

Most large firms are controlled by shareholders, who choose the board of directors and can replace the firm's management. In rare instances, however, control over the firm rests with the workforce. Many explanations for the rarity of workers' control have been offered, but



there have been few attempts to assess these hypotheses in a systematic way. This book draws upon economic theory, statistical evidence, and case studies to frame an explanation. The fundamental idea is that labor is inalienable, while capital can be freely transferred from one person to another. This implies that worker-controlled firms typically face financing problems, encounter collective choice dilemmas, and have difficulty creating markets for control positions within the firm. Together these factors can account for much of what is known about the incidence, behavior, and design of worker-controlled firms. A policy proposal to encourage employee buyouts is developed in the concluding chapter.