> If the story is "all companies must be fully employee-owned workers' cooperatives", then first, note that you are calling for a restriction on workers' rights:
This is completely dishonest. You're not arguing against this because you're concerned for workers.
> they have to be given part of their pay as stocks,
This is nonsense: the stock given to workers would normally be distributed to other places, so when it's given to workers instead, it's generally in addition to what they would normally be paid.
> and they can't sell them freely.
Also nonsense: this is a rule at some companies, but doesn't have to be.
> Second, that will probably make markets work worse. There's a large economics literature on this: worker-owned cooperatives have not taken over the market, although they are an available institutional form, because (a) they find it hard to raise capital (b) they tend to make decisions that maximize worker welfare rather than profit, e.g. they won't sack underperforming divisions or expand in ways that dilute existing workers' stake.
Ah, the real reason you care about this issue: "it will probably make markets worse". Screw workers, can't make markets worse!
As a society, is it our goal to have companies that "take over the market"? Or is our goal to have an economy that meets the needs of our people?
This is completely dishonest. You're not arguing against this because you're concerned for workers.
> they have to be given part of their pay as stocks,
This is nonsense: the stock given to workers would normally be distributed to other places, so when it's given to workers instead, it's generally in addition to what they would normally be paid.
> and they can't sell them freely.
Also nonsense: this is a rule at some companies, but doesn't have to be.
> Second, that will probably make markets work worse. There's a large economics literature on this: worker-owned cooperatives have not taken over the market, although they are an available institutional form, because (a) they find it hard to raise capital (b) they tend to make decisions that maximize worker welfare rather than profit, e.g. they won't sack underperforming divisions or expand in ways that dilute existing workers' stake.
Ah, the real reason you care about this issue: "it will probably make markets worse". Screw workers, can't make markets worse!
As a society, is it our goal to have companies that "take over the market"? Or is our goal to have an economy that meets the needs of our people?