Grounded in both domestic and international illustrations of modern-day worker cooperatives and social enterprises, this article shows how the practices of these examples of social property give rise to more democratic management of the workplace and equitable outcomes for society than would ever be possible with conventionally owned enterprises. The article offers public policy proposals that would encourage the formation of cooperative enterprises in the United States, at once offering a way to anchor well-paid jobs in U.S. communities and to extend the opportunity for shared ownership and control to working people. The article concludes with a consideration of how the extension of practical democratic rights into the economic realm might enhance citizens' capacity for and confidence in dialogue and democratic decision making in the political and civic realms of life.
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