Co-operatives UK has just published new research on worker co-ops, by Virginie Pérotin of Leeds University. Titled 'What do we really know about worker co-operatives?', Pérotin's paper refutes one or two widely shared assumptions.
She finds that:
- Worker co-operatives are larger than conventional businesses and not necessarily less capital intensive
- Worker co-operatives survive at least as long as other businesses and have more stable employment
- Worker cooperatives are more productive than conventional businesses, with stable, “better and smarter” working, and production organised more efficiently
- Worker co-operatives retain a larger share of their profits than other business models
- Executive and non-executive pay differentials are much narrower in worker co-operatives than other forms
Download the full report (PDF format)