Labor-Managed Cooperatives and Private Firms in North Central Italy: An Empirical Comparison

Type of Work

Article

Date

10-1992

Journal Title

Industrial and Labor Relations Review

Journal ISSN

0019-7939

Journal Volume

46

Journal Issue

1

First Page

103

Last Page

118

DOI

10.1177/001979399204600108

Abstract

The authors compare the behavior of private firms with that of producer cooperatives in a matched sample of the two organizational types in Italy. Differences are found in labor relations, employment, pay, production methods, the relationship to the external market environment, and the level of economic performance. The authors find no significant differences in investment horizons or criteria for finance, despite theoretical assertions to the contrary. The cooperatives apparently have higher productivity, more labor-intensive production methods, lower income differentials, and a more tranquil industrial-relations environment than the private firms.

Notes

Summary reprinted in:

The Changing Nature of Work. Edited by Frank Ackerman, Neva R. Goodwin, Laurie Dougherty and Kevin Gallagher. Washington, D.C.: Island, 1999.

Reprinted in:

Análisis Económico de la Empresa Autogestionada. Edited by Alfonso Carlos Morales, José Luis Monzón Campos and Rafael Chaves Ávila. Valencia: CIRIEC España, 2003.

JEL Classification: J54

Hamilton Areas of Study

Economics

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS