This book argues for workplace democracy on the grounds that it supports the development of fundamental human goods such as personal autonomy, self-development and communal solidarity.Workplace democracy is an old, but re-invigorated idea that business firms should be organized democratically. Many proponents of workplace democracy contend that the organization of business firms should be consistent with the liberal/republican value of equal freedom that animates western democracies. However, these arguments undersell the idea of workplace democracy by ignoring its significant moral, social, and psychological benefits. This book advances a novel, goods-based argument for workplace democracy. It engages with a wide range of psychological, sociological and health-related data that point out the importance of the fundamental goods of personal autonomy, communal solidarity, and self-development to the flourishing or well-being of individuals, along with workplace democracy’s ability to provide access to those goods. This is an important justification for workplace democracy that has been largely ignored.The Good of Workplace Democracy is a philosophically rigorous, but empirically informed book that approaches workplace democracy from the perspective of a normative commitment to promote goods fundamental to human well-being or flourishing. It will appeal to researchers and graduate students working in social and political philosophy, business ethics, sociology, organizational psychology, management studies, and economics.
S. Stewart Braun is Senior Lecturer in the School of Philosophy at Australian Catholic University. He specializes in social and political philosophy along with normative ethics and political theology. He is the co-editor, with Noell Birondo, of Virtue’s Reasons: New Essays on Virtue, Character, and Reasons (Routledge, 2017).
Preface and Acknowledgements 1. Introduction: What is Workplace Democracy? 1.1. Outline of the work 1.2 What is a Democratic Firm and a Cooperative Economy? a. Democratic Firms and Socialism 1.3 Ownership and the Nature of the Firm a. Ownership and Control Rights b. Risk and Control 1.4 Structure of the Moral Argument 2. Establishing the Fundamental Goods 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Flourishing, Well-Being, and Aristotle 2.3 The Nature of the Fundamental Goods 2.4 The Fundamental Goods and their Justification a. The Good of Autonomy b. The Good of Self-Development c. The Good of Communal Solidarity d. Self-Determination Theory 2.5 Promoting the Fundamental Goods a. Is it Too Costly to Promote the Fundamental Goods b. Our Moral Obligation to Promote the Fundamental Goods 2.6 Conclusion 3. Beyond the Political: The Need for a New Approach to Workplace Democracy 3.1 Introduction 3.2 The Political Theory of the Firm a. Versions of the Political Theory of the Firm b. Learning from the Political Theory of the Firm 3.3 Moving Beyond the Political Theory of the Firm 3.4 The Worry About Freedom 3.5 Other Arguments for Workplace Democracy 3.6 Conclusion 4. Efficiency and Democratic Firms: Challenging the Economic Arguments Against Democratic Firms 4.1 Introduction 4.2 The Three Main Versions of the Efficiency Criticism a. Economic Modeling and Empirical Observations 4.3 The Ward, Domar, Vanek (WDV) Objection 4.4 The Work Incentives Criticism 4.5 The Transaction Cost Objection a. Transaction Cost Economics: A Primer b. Rejecting Transaction Cost Economics’ Analysis of Workplace Democracy c. Rejecting the Evolutionary Hypothesis 4.6 The Establishment Problem a. The Path Dependency Thesis b. The Appropriation Thesis c. Financial Constraints 4.7 Conclusion 5. Personal Autonomy and Workplace Democracy 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Defining Autonomy 5.3 Autonomy and Control in Democratic Firms a. Democratic Autonomy through Joint Control b. Autonomy in Democratic Firms 5.4 Democratic Firms and the ‘Disposition to Autonomy’ a. Undermining the Authority Narrative b. Creating the Disposition to Autonomy 5.5 Conclusion 6. Self-Development and Workplace Democracy 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Self-Development as Practical and Active 6.3 Elements of Self-Development 6.4 Self-Development in Democratic Firms a. Autonomy in Democratic Firms b. Opportunity for Education and Diverse Experiences c. Moral Development 6.5 Addressing Worries and Objections Regarding Self-Development in Democratic Firms Why are Democratic Firms best for Self-Development? Is Self-Development Illiberal? 6.6 Conclusion 7. Communal Solidarity and Democratic Firms 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Communal Solidarity as Mutual Concern a. No Exploitation b. Mutual Concern 7.3 Evidence for Communal Solidarity in Democratic Firms 7.4 Answering Objections: Explaining Why Communal Solidarity is Present in Democratic Firms. Empirical Objections Theoretical Objection 7.5 Conclusion 8. Moving Toward a Cooperative Economy 8.1 The Moral Argument for a Cooperative Economy 8.2 Mandating a Transition to a Cooperative Economy? 8.3 Democratic Firms in an Age of Democratic Deterioration Index