Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 12h

Add to that full support for stakeholder ownership. Workers and consumers should own and control the economy so that it is democratic and actually serves the people. Worker-owned businesses are empirically viable and their benefits are substantial, yet they are rarely mentioned in these discussions.

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · May 10

A study using government data finds that if all businesses became 30% employee-owned, the bottom 90% would experience significant gains in wealth, with much of the benefits going to marginalized groups.

If we're serious about addressing wealth inequality, worker ownership must be at the forefront.

Employee Ownership and Wealth Inequality: A Path to Reducing Wealth Concentration

This paper examines the impact of an economy-wide shift to broad-based employee ownership on wealth concentration in the United States. Relying on government da

papers.ssrn.com

1 1

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 20h

Equal Exchange is a worker-owned cooperative that works directly with farmer cooperatives to create a more democratic and equitable supply chain.

The co-op provides an alternative to the corporate-based system and shows us that cooperative economics is viable and worker empowerment is possible.

Fairly Traded Coffee, Chocolate, Tea & Snacks

We offer a wide range of fair trade & organic coffee, chocolate, tea, cocoa and snacks direct from small-scale farmers and direct to your door.

shop.equalexchange.coop

10 35

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 1d

𝘐𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩, 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘮, (𝘪) 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 (𝘪*):

(𝘪) 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥.

(𝘪*) 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭.

Socialism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

plato.stanford.edu

1

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 1d

Depends on the worker ownership structure, of which there are several. In a worker cooperative, workers may receive direct payments from profit sharing on a regular basis. Worker-owned firms that compensate in equity alone remain an effective way to create wealth for workers.

1

Reposted by The Cooperative Economy

COYOTE @coyotemedia.org · 1d

Check out our new series of spotlights on Bay Area worker coops! In our first installment, @soleilho.com drops in on the 50-year-old Rainbow Grocery Cooperative in SF to find out what makes it work — and to hear some tasty lore (including a fistfight over what color to paint the store building! 👀)

Bay Area Co-ops: ‘A Bunch of Weirdos’ Run a Grocery Store

Staff at San Francisco’s Rainbow Grocery reflect on collectivity, retail personhood, and an aesthetic disagreement that ended in a fistfight.

www.coyotemedia.org

1 14 40

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 2d

Cooperatives are compatible with markets, planning, and a mix of both. One of the cooperative principles is cooperation among cooperatives. This means co-ops often share resources, information, and plan together. The result is a more collaborative, resilient, and inclusive economy.

2

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 2d

We can address this, not by maintaining the status quo or regressing back into laissez-faire capitalism, but by advancing toward an economic system where ownership is shared.

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · May 10

A study using government data finds that if all businesses became 30% employee-owned, the bottom 90% would experience significant gains in wealth, with much of the benefits going to marginalized groups.

If we're serious about addressing wealth inequality, worker ownership must be at the forefront.

Employee Ownership and Wealth Inequality: A Path to Reducing Wealth Concentration

This paper examines the impact of an economy-wide shift to broad-based employee ownership on wealth concentration in the United States. Relying on government da

papers.ssrn.com

1 5 16

Reposted by The Cooperative Economy

Wraith Games @wraith.games · 2d

October is National Co-op Month AND 2025 is the UN "International Year of Cooperatives"!

Since Wraith Games is a worker co-op, we figured the best way to celebrate would be to share some info about co-ops and why they're rad!

Ya'll ready for a thread?

2 14 29

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 3d

Granting workers a say in these organizations would be good too. Pay can be voted on. In democratic businesses, pay ratios are typically 5:1 or lower because of this participatory structure. It would also increase productivity and resilience for the organizations.

1 1 5

Reposted by The Cooperative Economy

Firestorm Books @firestorm.coop · 3d

Our friends at Carolina Common Enterprise are transitioning from a traditional nonprofit to a worker self-managed cooperative! Pitch in to support the future of cooperative ecosystem development in the Carolinas. givebutter.com/c/CCEBetterW...

Building Cooperatives for a New World

Carolina Common Enterprise Needs You — Help Us Relaunch!

givebutter.com

10 27

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 3d

Canada (and other countries) should support employee/worker ownership.

Worker-owned businesses are more productive and resilient than traditional companies. They keep wealth local and more equitably distributed. This directly opposes the trend of economic consolidation under billionaires.

Budget 2025 should bolster employee ownership to strengthen Canada’s economy

Budget 2025 offers Canada a chance to make employee ownership permanent by extending tax incentives for employee ownership trusts and worker co-ops. Doing so would boost productivity, reduce inequalit...

canadiandimension.com

2 7 25

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 4d

A starter pack!

12 32

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 4d

Yes. Democratic Socialists may not be interested in moving toward communism, but some communists may believe that communism can be achieved by first implementing democratic socialism.

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 5d

Communists wish to achieve a classless, moneyless, stateless society where the means of production are held in common.

Democratic Socialists wish to democratize the economy through models such as worker-owned businesses, cooperatives, and community ownership.

1

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 5d

The Marcora Law in Italy is an existing example of legislation that makes transitioning to worker ownership more accessible.

It is very sensible.

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · Dec 18

Italy's Marcora Law supports worker buyouts. Worker-owned cooperatives that have been established by workers purchasing a business facing closure or being put up for sale exhibit a 3-year survival rate of 87%, contrasting with the 48% survival rate of Italian enterprises. 👷

ica.coop/en/media/new...

The Marcora Law supporting worker buyouts for thirty years | ICA

Thirty years ago the then Italian Minister of Trade and Industry, Giovanni Marcora passed a law that aimed to support worker buyouts. The law, which came to be known as the Marcora Law, has helped to ...

ica.coop

1 1

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 5d

Socialism entails some form of social/worker ownership and control. Totalitarianism is in direct opposition to this ideal. What has happened throughout history is authoritarians co-opting language and philosophy to their own ends. "Democratic" in the DPRK, "socialism" in the Nazi party, etc.

Socialism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

plato.stanford.edu

1 3

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 5d

Worker co-ops are about as sustainable as any business. Research shows they match or exceed survival rates of traditional companies.

1

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 6d

Don't forget to support worker cooperatives in NYC!

These businesses empower workers with a say and a stake in our economy. The largest worker co-op in the country is in New York City. The business is unionized and it pays its home care aides more than other city agencies along with benefits.

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · Mar 3

Cooperative Home Care Associates, a NYC worker co-op, pays workers about 20% more than other agencies in NYC while providing 401(k) plans and health insurance. The co-op offers free training to hundreds of unemployed and low-income women every year, providing tools for their economic empowerment.

About CHCA

Find dedicated, invested home care services in the Bronx. As a worker-owned agency, our caregivers take client care very seriously.

www.chcany.org

1 7 57

Reposted by The Cooperative Economy

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 6d

Home health aides are often low-income women of color who struggle to afford the costs of living. We must support models that provide these workers with the pay and the benefits they deserve so they can enjoy dignified lives.

We must create a more equitable distribution of wealth for all people.

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · Mar 4

Places like New York City experience significant levels of poverty, undignified jobs, and low social mobility. Worker cooperatives are a solution. By empowering disadvantaged groups, the model offers a pathway to dignified employment, wealth building, and improved standards of living for workers.

Worker Cooperatives for New York City: A Vision for Addressing Income Inequality

The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA) presents this report, Worker Cooperatives for New York City: A Vision for Addressing Income Inequality, as an examination of one solution for the c...

institute.coop

5 11

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 6d

Democratic socialism goes a step further with its support for a democratic economy that empowers working people. Worker-owned businesses and cooperative enterprises are a significant aspect of a democratic economy and would substantially address wealth inequality and protect political democracy.

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · May 10

A study using government data finds that if all businesses became 30% employee-owned, the bottom 90% would experience significant gains in wealth, with much of the benefits going to marginalized groups.

If we're serious about addressing wealth inequality, worker ownership must be at the forefront.

Employee Ownership and Wealth Inequality: A Path to Reducing Wealth Concentration

This paper examines the impact of an economy-wide shift to broad-based employee ownership on wealth concentration in the United States. Relying on government da

papers.ssrn.com

1 1 23

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 6d

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is a peer-reviewed source on subjects of philosophy. Their entry on socialism is straightforward. Socialism is not synonymous with statism.

Socialism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

plato.stanford.edu

2

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 6d

Home health aides are often low-income women of color who struggle to afford the costs of living. We must support models that provide these workers with the pay and the benefits they deserve so they can enjoy dignified lives.

We must create a more equitable distribution of wealth for all people.

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · Mar 4

Places like New York City experience significant levels of poverty, undignified jobs, and low social mobility. Worker cooperatives are a solution. By empowering disadvantaged groups, the model offers a pathway to dignified employment, wealth building, and improved standards of living for workers.

Worker Cooperatives for New York City: A Vision for Addressing Income Inequality

The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA) presents this report, Worker Cooperatives for New York City: A Vision for Addressing Income Inequality, as an examination of one solution for the c...

institute.coop

5 11

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 6d

Cooperative Home Care Associates is a unionized worker co-op in NYC that empowers black/brown women with a say and a stake in their workplace. The business pays their workers more than other agencies in the city.

We need more businesses like this to address inequality and empower working people!

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · Mar 3

Cooperative Home Care Associates, a NYC worker co-op, pays workers about 20% more than other agencies in NYC while providing 401(k) plans and health insurance. The co-op offers free training to hundreds of unemployed and low-income women every year, providing tools for their economic empowerment.

About CHCA

Find dedicated, invested home care services in the Bronx. As a worker-owned agency, our caregivers take client care very seriously.

www.chcany.org

2 20 36

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 6d

Even checked capitalism can regress and experience issues. The social democracies of Europe are experiencing growing wealth inequality, billionaire influence over politics, and the rise of right-wing rhetoric. The economic system itself is problematic as ownership is authoritarian in nature.

1 2

The Cooperative Economy @cooperatives.bsky.social · 6d

If anyone wants to learn more about socialism as a philosophy without all of the noise and misinformation, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is a peer-reviewed source and its entry on socialism is straightforward.

Make your own decisions about socialism, don't allow others to make it for you.

Socialism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

plato.stanford.edu

1 3 24