I think I agree that democratizing workplaces is a good idea, and I think it is an interesting argument that this is potentially effective because so many people spend so much time at the workplace, nevertheless I would guess that spending or working on this does not come close to the cost-effectiveness of EA charities, though I have not done the math and would love to see someone do an initial exploration of this.
On a slightly related note: I am always a bit surprised by this (co-op, worker empowerment ect.) movement’s focus on creating more co-ops or buying increasing shares of companies. It seems to me that if worker ownership is a good thing, then I think the smart political play would be to just keep strengthening co-determination laws until co-ops and other companies are basically identical. After all, creating new laws or convincing the state or others to spend loads of money is a lot more difficult then continually pushing to incrementally change existing laws.
then I think the smart political play would be to just keep strengthening co-determination laws until co-ops and other companies are basically identical.
I actually suggested this strategy in my post:
Perhaps traditional firms could slowly be eased into becoming co-ops by first giving the employees more stakes in the company and then expanding their participation rights.
I think I agree that democratizing workplaces is a good idea, and I think it is an interesting argument that this is potentially effective because so many people spend so much time at the workplace, nevertheless I would guess that spending or working on this does not come close to the cost-effectiveness of EA charities, though I have not done the math and would love to see someone do an initial exploration of this.
On a slightly related note: I am always a bit surprised by this (co-op, worker empowerment ect.) movement’s focus on creating more co-ops or buying increasing shares of companies. It seems to me that if worker ownership is a good thing, then I think the smart political play would be to just keep strengthening co-determination laws until co-ops and other companies are basically identical. After all, creating new laws or convincing the state or others to spend loads of money is a lot more difficult then continually pushing to incrementally change existing laws.
The mental health aspect is important, but also, don’t forget the potential impact of economic growth: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/bsE5t6qhGC65fEpzN/growth-and-the-case-against-randomista-development
I actually suggested this strategy in my post: