Resource Library

The Democracy at Work Institute is building a comprehensive Resource Library that will include a wide range of materials, including academic papers, start-up toolkits, curriculum samples, actual documents from existing worker cooperatives, and more. The topic list below provides a map of the resources that will be available. We are also continuing to publish additional resources on a daily basis.

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Recently Added Resources

Jobs and the Urban Poor: Privately Initiated Sectoral Strategies

Author(s): 
Peggy Clark, Steven L. Dawson, Amy J. Kays, Frieda Molina, Rick Surpin
Year: 
1995
This research report looks at the experience of community-based organizations that have undertaken sectoral employment development strategies, and attempts to define these strategies and assess their impact. It's purpose is is to spread the idea that the poor can participate in the competitive economy, to illuminate the practice of using a single industry or occupation to create jobs and economic opportunity for the poor, and to promote the concept that poverty alleviation is linked to economic development.

Does Cooperation Equal Utopia?

Author(s): 
Anonymous
Year: 
2010
By means of qualitative analysis, this paper examines the organisational cultures underlying three worker cooperatives in the San Francisco Bay Area. 20 workers were interviewed and the transcripts were subsequently analysed along Edgar Schein's cultural framework. The findings show that overall the culture of these worker cooperatives is people-centred: the wellbeing of the workers comes first and the concern for making a profit comes only second.

Beyond the Boss: Building the U.S. Worker Cooperative Movement in the Context of Global Capitalism

Author(s): 
David Ciplet
Year: 
2007
This paper asks the question “What are the key elements to building an effective United States-based worker cooperative movement in the context of global capitalism?” Data was collected by reviewing literature in the field, interviewing 24 worker cooperative movement activists, attending a Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives (NoBAWC) meeting, reading posts on the NoBAWC list-serve and talking with worker cooperative movement activists at social and job related events in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Social and Solidarity Economy: Towards an ‘Alternative’ Globalisation

Author(s): 
Nancy Neamtan
Year: 
2002
The social and solidarity economy are concepts that have become increasingly recognised and used in Quebec since 1995. Following the examples of certain European, as well as Latin American countries, these terms emerged in Quebec as part of a growing will and desire on the part of social movements to propose an alternative model of development, in response to the dominant neo-liberal model. The emergence of this movement has not been without debate, nor obstacles. In fact, the contours and composition of the social economy are still being determined; its definition continues to evolve.

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