Mica (Michaela) Fisher
Wesleyan University
Project
Cooperative Worlds: Exploring the Global Cooperative Economy
Spain, Argentina, New Zealand, Germany, Canada
Cooperatives are jointly-owned and democratically controlled enterprises that unite people in order to meet common needs. Worker-owners split their profits evenly and share control over decision-making processes. Co-ops return power to the hands of every worker, despite unequal class and identity privileges. On my Watson year, I will travel to understand the many ways in which co-ops can flourish or fail. While I see cooperatives as a revolutionary and beautiful idea, they can stand at odds with prevailing economic systems. Global capitalism values growth and efficiency above democratic participation and worker power. Are cooperatives able to survive, principles intact, in this economy?