Description

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An urgent and deeply resonant case for the power of workplace democracy to restore balance between economy and society.

What happens to a society—and a planet—when capitalism outgrows democracy? The tensions between democracy and capitalism are longstanding, and they have been laid bare by the social effects of COVID-19. The narrative of “essential workers” has provided thin cover for the fact that society’s lowest paid and least empowered continue to work risky jobs that keep our capitalism humming. Democracy has been subjugated by the demands of capitalism. For many, work has become unfair. 

In Democratize Work, essays from a dozen social scientists—all women—articulate the perils and frustrations of our collective moment, while also framing the current crisis as an opportunity for renewal and transformation. Amid mounting inequalities tied to race, gender, and class—and with huge implications for the ecological fate of the planet—the authors detail how adjustments in how we organize work can lead to sweeping reconciliation. By treating workers as citizens, treating work as something other than an asset, and treating the planet as something to be cared for, a better way is attainable. Building on cross-disciplinary research, Democratize Work is both a rallying cry and an architecture for a sustainable economy that fits the democratic project of our societies.

Contributors include Alyssa Battistoni (Barnard College of Columbia University), Adelle Blackett (McGill University), Julia Cagé (Sciences Po), Neera Chandhoke (University of Delhi), Lisa Herzog (University of Groningen), Imge Kaya Sabanci (IE Business School), Sara Lafuente (European Trade Union Institute), Hélène Landemore (Yale University), Flávia Máximo (Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Brazil), and Pavlina R. Tcherneva (Levy Economics Institute of Bard College).

About the Author

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Isabelle Ferreras is a senior research associate at the National Fund for Scientific Research in Brussels, professor of sociology at the University of Louvain in Belgium, and a senior research associate of the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School. She serves as president of the Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium.

Julie Battilana is the Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the Alan L. Gleitsman Professor of Social Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School, where she is also the founder and faculty chair of the Social Innovation and Change Initiative. 

Dominique Méda is professor of sociology and director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research in the Social Sciences at Paris Dauphine University PSL. 

Praise For…

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"This terse and acerbic book argues for three urgent and critical changes to workplaces: democratize firms, decommodify work, and decarbonize the environment. The authors' assessment of the status quo is not sugarcoated with easy-to-swallow challenges and uplifting signs of progress. Rather, the ideas presented are ambitious and bold. After the brief introduction and manifesto on work, the authors include 12 separate companion pieces, each making the case that dire consequences will result without changes to workplaces and society. Bold and fascinating, this book offers an important perspective on the priorities of the workplace and society at large."
— Choice

"Ferreras, Battilana, and Méda explore the potential for democratizing firms, decommodifying work, and decarbonizing the environment, explaining how these levers of positive social change are interrelated and how they can be implemented."
— Journal of Economic Literature

"Isabelle Ferreras, Julie Battilana, and Dominique Méda have assembled a powerful collection of 12 essays, all written by women during the COVID-19 pandemic, that passionately addresses the ways in which the labor market has run roughshod over essential workers and commodified work, disadvantaging women and workers of color in particular."
— Industrial and Labor Relations Review

"A cornerstone for building a fairer and more inclusive society. A must-read."
— Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century

"Exciting yet viable—the framework to mobilize for change and an essential handbook for everyone hoping for a better future."
— Jayati Ghosh, University of Massachussetts Amherst

"This brilliant book makes the most compelling, comprehensive, and accessible case yet for democratizing work. It shows how we all have a stake in empowering workers at work--not only for the sake of workers, but for democracy at large, and a more sustainable planet."
— Elizabeth Anderson, University of Michigan

"This book powerfully makes the case that democracy cannot be limited to political institutions but also belongs in the workplace. As technology and a global pandemic are radically remaking our relations at work, this book offers desperately needed guidance for achieving a more just and inclusive economic system. Imaginative, empirically informed, and motivated by a profound humanity, this is a normative social science at its best."
— Debra Satz, Stanford University