General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: "Sorry, It's Not a 'Law of Capitalism' That You Pay Your Employees as Little as Possible. It's..." [View all]branford
(4,462 posts)A capitalist system does not prohibit or prevent workers from being shareholders or even completely owning the enterprise. They still need to pay competitive wages, build better products or provide better services, and otherwise do better than their competitors in the marketplace. As owners, the workers are free to accept a lower profit. However, if their earnings do not consistently exceed their liabilities, such an endeavor will fail. I also do not believe that any state significantly supports Moondragon or any other "socialist corporation."
If "worker cooperatives" were the most competitive or efficient economic model, we would seem them far more often in the marketplace. However, investment and the incentives relating to the large accumulation of wealth drives the most significant projects and maintain economies of scale that keep prices low and maintain our standard of living. For example, one might hate Walmart as a soulless beast that destroys small enterprise, but their scale both provides inexpensive goods that increase the standard of living for many poor individuals, and forces their competitors to act likewise.