Ask Prof Wolff

A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "You're known as an advocate of worker cooperatives. However, back in the 19th century, Friedrich Engels (as well as Eduard Bernstein, the father of Democratic Socialism) was very skeptical of worker cooperatives because of the power the workers at a company could still have over the general public to whom they were not responsible to, meaning they could still, for example, create a monopoly, jack up prices, and engage in protectionist tactics. Instead, Engels and Bernstein preferred consumer cooperatives, in which the public that patronized the business would be the ones to own it and the business would be responsible to them, thereby giving the public a say in the running of the company as well as the workers. What do you think about the advantages and disadvantages of the two systems and why do you think worker cooperatives are the superior arrangement?"

This is Professor Richard Wolff's response.

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A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Can you please address the previous and current systemic collusion/connivance between the union leadership [of possibly every labor union] and the corporate management? And not just the fairly recent scandal of UAW/FCA regarding eroding solidarity and diminished worker benefits. Although, the technical question was how the US DOJ found evidence for it and management motives behind it, this might help make the case to democratize the enterprise."

A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Hello Professor Wolff, here in Germany, gas prices are very high due to the sanctions policy with Russia. It is typical of a market economy that the gas that has become scarce is priced higher in order to alleviate the shortage. In this way, the scarce gas is distributed to the rich who can make monetary inquiries. How should allocation of goods (let's say gas/oil to take today's shortage) work in a socialist mode of production?"

A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Dear Prof. Wolff, can you explain the value of a National Infrastructure Bank?"

A Patron of Democracy at Work asks: "Greetings Prof Wolff, my question is one of ethics. How does a collective remain competitive in a dog-eat-dog capitalist environment when the expectation is that a worker-owned enterprise would be presumed to follow the law? I'm not saying all privately-held enterprises are corrupt but it follows that if a given firm were to cut corners, all other competitors would have to follow suit to continue to exist. And what of deregulation? Are there examples whereby ethical principles are an existential threat to coops under capitalism?"

An audience member of Ask Prof Wolff LIVE asks: "Can you discuss the concept of labor markets and how they influence collective bargaining power?"

Prof Wolff answered this question during a live Ask Prof Wolff event.

We look forward to having more live "Ask" sessions like these! Some will be open to the public, some will be for the generous donors who sustain our work. Some will be with Prof Wolff, and others will feature other d@w hosts! Stay connected with us to hear about the next live event!

The best way to keep in touch with us is by signing up to our email list: https://www.democracyatwork.info/sign_up

An audience member of Ask Prof Wolff LIVE asks: "If inflation is a result of employers increasing prices to make higher profits, how does the Fed connect the interest rate as a way to directly control inflation?"

Prof Wolff answered this question during a live Ask Prof Wolff event.

We look forward to having more live "Ask" sessions like these! Some will be open to the public, some will be for the generous donors who sustain our work. Some will be with Prof Wolff, and others will feature other d@w hosts! Stay connected with us to hear about the next live event!

The best way to keep in touch with us is by signing up to our email list: https://www.democracyatwork.info/sign_up

An audience member of Ask Prof Wolff LIVE asks: "In a worker cooperative society, what would be the role or major functions of the state?"

Prof Wolff answered this question during a live Ask Prof Wolff event.

We look forward to having more live "Ask" sessions like these! Some will be open to the public, some will be for the generous donors who sustain our work. Some will be with Prof Wolff, and others will feature other d@w hosts! Stay connected with us to hear about the next live event!

The best way to keep in touch with us is by signing up to our email list: https://www.democracyatwork.info/sign_up

An audience member of Ask Prof Wolff LIVE asks: "Fascism is when the state and corporations merge, so why isn't the system that China has considered fascist? Is it fascist, is it not?"

Prof Wolff answered this question during a live Ask Prof Wolff event.

We look forward to having more live "Ask" sessions like these! Some will be open to the public, some will be for the generous donors who sustain our work. Some will be with Prof Wolff, and others will feature other d@w hosts! Stay connected with us to hear about the next live event!

The best way to keep in touch with us is by signing up to our email list: https://www.democracyatwork.info/sign_up

An audience member of Ask Prof Wolff LIVE asks: "What are the major historical downsides to a deflation? Are price decreases in a specific sector (e.g. fuel if, hypothetically, the shocks to that supply chain end sometime) generally isolated from these?"

Prof Wolff answered this question during a live Ask Prof Wolff event.

We look forward to having more live "Ask" sessions like these! Some will be open to the public, some will be for the generous donors who sustain our work. Some will be with Prof Wolff, and others will feature other d@w hosts! Stay connected with us to hear about the next live event!

The best way to keep in touch with us is by signing up to our email list: https://www.democracyatwork.info/sign_up