The Political Economy of Co-operation and Participation

Fülszöveg

The need to find a solution to the problems of industry in Britain and elsewhere in the western world is becoming iricreasingly important to politicians, industrialists, economists, and politicai scientists. These essays form a significant contribution to the discussions on the Organization of industry.
The search for alternatives to the collapsing structures of western market économies is leading towards the possibility of a 'third sector' distinct from private share-holder-owned industry, and from public nationalized enterprise. In a 'third sector' firm, those who do the work either particípate in or take over completely both the main functions previously fulfilled by capital: they share power and responsibility for the running of the company; they may elect the management; they take responsibility for financial loss and gain. 'Third sector' firms include co-operatives operating in a free market and firms practising a combination of profit-sharing and value-added sharing to a... Tovább

Fülszöveg

The need to find a solution to the problems of industry in Britain and elsewhere in the western world is becoming iricreasingly important to politicians, industrialists, economists, and politicai scientists. These essays form a significant contribution to the discussions on the Organization of industry.
The search for alternatives to the collapsing structures of western market économies is leading towards the possibility of a 'third sector' distinct from private share-holder-owned industry, and from public nationalized enterprise. In a 'third sector' firm, those who do the work either particípate in or take over completely both the main functions previously fulfilled by capital: they share power and responsibility for the running of the company; they may elect the management; they take responsibility for financial loss and gain. 'Third sector' firms include co-operatives operating in a free market and firms practising a combination of profit-sharing and value-added sharing to a significant degree. Small businesses or large businesses broken into smaller profit-centres may adjust most readily to these principies of Organization. But in the long run the scope of these principies may be wider.
The main aim of the book is to relate the study of coopération, participation and value-added sharing clearly to the mainstream of politicai economy. It originated in a conference held to discuss various practical instances of these principies and a highly provocative thesis expounded by Peter Jay on a workers' co-operative economy in the UK. Most of the papers were written after the conference in response to the issues raised. Contributions by Alasdair Clayre, Peter Jay, Robert Oakeshott, Felix FitzRoy, James Meade, Brian Chiplin, John Coyne, John Cable, Ljubo Sire and Roger Sawtell contain arguments both for and against co-operation and a detailed examination of the theory of co-operative and participative Organization. Alasdair Clayre is a Fellow of Ali Soul's College, Oxford. He has published books of fiction and non-fiction and is now a director of Antelope Films, an independant production company. Vissza