Building Employee Ownership at the National Level

The views expressed on this listserv are those of the individuals posting the statement and
do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ohio Employee Ownership Center or Kent State University.

COORDINATOR: Deborah Groban Olson

REGISTRATION: Register On-line Now.

DISCUSSION: Browse Discussion to Date.
                 Browse: Table of National Employee Ownership Laws across the globe.

Review the DRAFT write up of activity that occured on this list up to May 2001.

Building employee ownership at the national level: canvass the range of national legislative choices to promote employee ownership and their relative advantages and disadvantages. This includes (1) tax expenditures such as deductible contributions or tax credits, (2) national support for technical assistance, (3) preferential lending policies, (4) equity funds, (5) support for cooperative start ups, (6) national managerial academy, (7) development of national organizations of employee-owned companies, and (8) other ideas for strengthening employee ownership at the national level through national legislation or national organization.

In looking at the international experience with all of these, we aim to find the best practices and spread them, understanding that "best practices" may mean different practices in different environments.

Currently active Network members have substantial anecdotal information and some data on employee ownership practices and proposals (including ESOPs, co-ops, profit sharing and ownership of stock through pension plans) in many countries including: Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Chile, France, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Mozambique, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, UK, US, Zimbabwe, and CO-determination practices in Germany, Austria and Denmark.

We need to collect this information, along with similar information on countries not mentioned above, and make it available to all Network participants in a useable form.

Additionally, many Network participants are interested in not-for-profit employee ownership education and technical assistance programs (EOTAs). Some of them are veterans of long-lived successful EOTAs. Some are seeking to create them. Others are struggling to keep alive formerly government supported programs which have lost government support. Some of these organizations are grant supported, others support themselves on fee generated income. Some provide technical assistance on transactions, while others limit themselves to providing information. Some are neutral information sources, while others are advocates. Some are government agencies, others are private. Anecdotal data tell us that these information sources are key players in broadening ownership. This discussion group will be a forum for these participants to meet, exchange information and assistance, and possibly help launch or merge struggling groups to increase worldwide EOTA capacity.