Whither Self-Management? Finding New Paths to Workplace Democracy

Abstract

Today, there is the real possibility that self-management and workplace democracy will follow socialism into the dustbin of history. But the connection of self-management to socialism was misconceived from the beginning. Workplace democracy has its own roots in the historical struggle against slavery and against autocracy. The paper reviews the history of the theory of inalienable rights that applies not only against the self-sale contract and the political contract of subjection but also against of the self-rental or employment contract, today's contract of subjection for the workplace. The paper concludes with the current debate about corporate governance.

Citation

Ellerman, D. (2006), "Whither Self-Management? Finding New Paths to Workplace Democracy", Kalmi, P. and Klinedinst, M. (Ed.) Participation in the Age of Globalization and Information (Advances in the Economic Analysis of Participatory & Labor-Managed Firms, Vol. 9), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 321-355. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-3339(05)09011-3

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