Friday, August 17, 2018

If you don’t see much voluntary codetermination, one logical conclusion is that codetermination will decrease output (Tyler Cowen on Warren's corporate proposals)

See If codetermination boosts output, will start-ups use it?

"Think of codetermination as requiring that say 40% of the board seats be given to workers and broad-based worker representatives (not just founders!), as in the new Elizabeth Warren bill.

Sometimes it is claimed that codetermination would limit capital returns, but boost the firm’s investment in labor, and thus possibly boost productivity.  Let’s say a firm with codetermination would produce 10, and the same venture without codetermination would produce only 8.

If you are initiating a start-up, it seems the codetermined firm is more competitive, plus you still could bargain for some share of the extra 2 in output, albeit a smaller share of the initial 8.

A priori, this could work out as either board form proving more profitable for capital.  Still, if you think of most start-ups as being quite desperate to make it at all, I would think the productivity boost would militate in favor of the codetermination form in at least some cases.  After all, your higher productivity means you will be able to capture the market with lower prices, right?

If you don’t see much voluntary codetermination, one logical conclusion is that codetermination will decrease output.  Will anyone tell me by how much?"

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