[Research seminar] Towards non-extractive work relations: lessons from worker cooperatives

On 3 March, the Asser Institute is proud to welcome Dr Vladimir Bogoeski, a Postdoctoral Researcher in the N-EXTLAW project and member of the Amsterdam Centre for Transformative Private Law (ACT). During this research seminar, he will be presenting his working paper: ‘Towards non-extractive work relations: lessons from worker cooperatives’, co-authored with Andrea Iossa (Kristianstad University) and Miriam Kullmann (VU Amsterdam).

In search for an imaginary of non-extractive work relations, the article makes the argument that worker cooperatives provide valuable lessons on alternative ways of organizing labour and economic activity overall. The article examines the values that underlie the organisation and functioning of the worker cooperative as an alternative model of socio-economic and legal organization, demonstrating how such ideas of non-subordination, horizontality and collectivity could help re-imagine labour and work relations outside of extractivist ideas of private ownership and production. The article argues that these values inherent to the worker cooperative model endow working members with real governing power over the production process as well as real influence over the distribution of benefits generated through that process and the overall relation of that economic activity to society and environment. While the article foregrounds the valuable lessons from cooperative theory and praxis, it also considers challenges exemplary demonstrated by the degeneration theory and points to some cooperative realities where the above ideas are abused to the determent of working members, depriving them of basic worker rights.

Asser research seminars

During the Asser Research Seminars, external researchers are invited to present their current and upcoming research with the Asser research community. The seminars are semi-open, as we invite a few external people who may be interested in the specific topic of the seminar. However, we aim to keep the group’s size limited, to stimulate interaction and high quality, in-depth discussions. Researchers who are interested in presenting their research to the Asser research community are welcome to send an e-mail to Dr Christophe Paulussen (c.paulussen@asser.nl).