Nicos Moushouttas
Worker Cooperatives as Alternative Economies within Capitalism: Potentials and Limitations of Labour Ownership and Control
Doctoral researcher at the Institute of International Management. My research focuses on analysing Worker Cooperatives, their organisational and decision-making structure, and their potential as alternative forms of production within the capitalist economic system.
I hold a BA with Honours in Sociology from the University of Warwick and an MSc in Social Research Methods from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Broader research interests include Economic, Historical, and Political Sociology, Organisational Studies, and Political Economy.
PhD research description
Studying the ways in which Worker Cooperatives are, or can become, viable alternatives within capitalism. Using primarily qualitative methods and focusing on selected cases in the United Kingdom, the research explores the relations of production in Worker Cooperatives, as affected by their organisational and decision-making processes, and the ways these differ from the conventional economic business models. In addition, the research examines the organisational mechanisms that allow the Worker Cooperative’s unique economic structure, and its relations of production, to survive and flourish as it develops over time. This study aims to expand on the multi-disciplinary literature on social economy by illustrating how Cooperatives as non-capitalist models of production can challenge the dominant economic relations, advance democratic and egalitarian principles, and provide for the material necessities of their community.
PhD supervisors
Dr. Matt Vidal and Dr. Jukka Rintamäki
Awards, grants or scholarships received
Full Doctoral College Studentship from Loughborough University.