Capitalist Dictatorship as Economic Non-democracy: Some Characteristics and Indicators

Milan Zafirovski

Management and Labour Studies, 2025, vol. 50, issue 4, 495-514

Abstract: This article seeks to define and conceptualize the concept of a capitalist dictatorship by identifying its characteristics and indicators. It argues that these features emerge primarily from and relate to the extreme concentration of wealth and power in capital, resulting in the systemic control, domination and coercion of non-capital factors. The article contrasts this form of economic non-democracy with models of industrial and political democracy, drawing attention to indicators such as low levels of unionization, limited union coverage, the absence of collective bargaining and the lack of labour collective representation in corporate governance (i.e., codetermination). It also introduces and considers certain approximations or manifestations of capitalist dictatorship. The article aims to make both theoretical and practical contributions to the literature by introducing and elaborating on the concept to get a better understanding of capitalist dictatorship.

Keywords: Capital; capitalism; capitalist dictatorship; conservatism; democracy and non-democracy; labour; management; oligarchy; plutocracy; power; wealth (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:manlab:v:50:y:2025:i:4:p:495-514

DOI: 10.1177/0258042X251379589

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