Defending and expanding industrial democracy and worker cooperatives in an age of neoliberal globalisation

Oier Imaz Alias, Johan Elvemo Ravn, Trond Sanne Haga and Davydd J. Greenwood

International Review of Applied Economics, 2025, vol. 39, issue 2-3, 216-240

Abstract: Neoliberalism has reinforced inequality, environmental collapse, famine, refugee crises, supply chain vulnerabilities and more. We agree with Gibson-Graham (2006) that the core of the issue for a post-capitalist politics is to overcome the sense of the inevitability of the dominant system of political economy. With this argument in mind, we analyse the diversity, innovativeness, and resilience of two specific manufacturing alternatives to neoliberal capitalism: the Norwegian industrial democracy and the Mondragon Cooperative Experience. The cases show that each example arises from a unique history, environment, and has unique structures. This diversity shows that there are many paths to workplace democracy, such systems are capable of innovation, and they are internationally competitive. Our comparison also reveals that no successful equilibrium is ever static. Scaling (up or out) to secure market share presents a challenge potentially existential for both models. Reviewing their efforts for meeting these challenges conclude our analysis.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/02692171.2024.2406352

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