Radical democratic citizenship at work in an adverse economic environment: the case of workers' co-operatives in Scotland. Issue 1 (2nd January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zaunseder, Andreas
• Is Part Of: Identities. Volume 29:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 88
• Page End: 107
• Publication Date: 2022-01-02
• Subjects: Worker co-operatives -- radical democratic citizenship -- workplace democracy -- prefiguration -- political -- economic alternative; Ethnic groups -- Periodicals; Race relations -- Periodicals; Ethnic relations -- Periodicals; Ethnicity -- Periodicals; Group identity -- Periodicals; 301
• DOI: 10.1080/1070289X.2021.1970979
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1070-289X

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Worker co-operatives generally embrace democracy in their ownership and decision-making structure. However, the commitment to a flat organisational hierarchy, implementation of equal wage policy, and the pursuit of a strong ethical policy position these co-operatives on the highly principled side of the co-operative landscape in the UK. This paper draws on an ethnographic study of five such principled workers' co-operatives operating in a most adverse economic context, the UK capitalist market economy. The study explores collective decision-making and the personal investment as two important political aspects. Workplace democracy and the personal are interlinked paradigms for political praxis – as practiced democracy, immanent critique of the hegemonic corporate way of organising work, as well as prefiguring a viable alternative. Taking the perspective of radical worker co-operatives, this article caters to an urgently needed conceptualisation of radical democratic citizenship at work.