Democratizing the Corporation

The Bicameral Firm and Beyond

Watch the recording of the online book launch (Spring 2024):

https://youtube.com/watch?v=gatG8Xd2JRc%3Fsi%3DB0noYqPC70Y4RE2V

How democracy can be extended to the workplace

Although contemporary Western societies refer to themselves as “democratic,” the bulk of the population spend much of their lives in workplaces that have more in common with tyranny. Gigantic corporations such as Amazon, Meta, Exxon, and Walmart are among the richest and most powerful institutions in the world yet accountable to no one but their shareholders. The undemocratic nature of conventional firms generates profound problems across society, hurting more than just the workplace and contributing to environmental destruction and spiraling inequality.

Against this backdrop, Isabelle Ferreras proposes a radical but realistic plan to democratize the private firm. She suggests that all large firms should be bicamerally governed, with a chamber of worker representatives sharing equal governance power with the standard board representing owners. In response to this proposal, twelve leading experts on corporate behavior from multiple disciplines consider its attractiveness, viability, and achievability as a “real utopian” proposal to strengthen democracy in our time.

Contributions by Isabelle Ferreras (author of the lead essay), Tom Malleson and Joel Rogers, and discussants: David Ellerman, Thomas Ferretti, Marc Fleurbaey, Robert F. Freeland, Axel Gosseries, Carly Knight, Max Krahé, Christopher Mackin, Ewan McGaughey, Lenore Palladino, Simon Pek, Sanjay Pinto and Bo Rothstein. Edited by Isabelle Ferreras, Tom Malleson and Joel Rogers

This book was released in March 2024. Order here.