Worker Participation-Productivity and the Quality of Life, Worldwatch Paper 25, Bruce Stokes, 1978,48 pp., $2.00 from: Worldwatch Institute 1776 Massachusetts Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20036 1·lere's another look at workplace issues, a bit expansive, in the Worldwatch style. What's good, though, is learning to distinguish the various approaches intended to improve the lot of workers- from job enrichment schemes to employee involvement in management decisions t actual worker ownership of capitaland the real political implications of each approach. Throughout these alternatives runs a common theme that topdown innovations are usually destined to fail, while success follows those worker participation options that imply worker control. Needless to say, the range of issues here is vast, and there are worthwhile examples to learn from in ail areas: whether the redesign of workplace environments in Scandinavia, the pervasive workers' councils involved with self-management in Yugoslavia, the de-segregation of labor and capital in European board-rooms, or the Pacific Northwest's own worker-owned plywood co-ops. In retooling our overextended industrial economy, hopefully to something more decentralized and equitable, we need to sort out which of these strategies push us in the right direction-and which push us aside. Food for thought here. -SA SMALL BUSINESS Neighborhood Economic Enterprises, Neil Kotter, 1978,44 pp., $3.50 from: National Association of Neighborhoods 1612 20th St. N.W. Washington, DC 20009 The pamphlet presen ts a simple framework for understanding possible forms of neighborhood-based business enterprises. Don't expect an in-depth analysis of the subject from this booklet. However, it does provide information on where you can find the answers in the form of a bibliography on housing, a.t., neighborhood organizations, ete.; a resource list of individuals, groups and agencies offering technical assistance; and a profile of 67 operating community economic enterprises. - PC .!!l Q ~ ... Q.. .; C>.. ~ ~ 1>0 c ~ ~ u h~"""'-!~~ pump -is U> distribu.te rain ~ (, wa.ste w&ti:r to garael1 .g Shopsteading Department of Housing and Community Development 222 East Saratoga St. Baltimore, MD 21202 Contact person: Paul Gilbert, Commercial Revitalization Coordinator When I was living in Baltimore four years ago the city was earning a reputation for its successful "homesteading" project. Similar to the "homesteading" concept, an innovative program called Shopsteading has been developed to revitalize deteriorating neighborhoods. For $100 and an agreement to renovate and reopen stores and offices, a business person can buy a shop building. The city offers low-interest long term loans to assist rehabilitation efforts. To date $750,000 worth of new investment has been generated by the first 15 shopsteaders (six blacks, 2 Hispanics and 4 women). (From The Workbook, P.O. Box 4524, Albuquerque, NM 87106 ; students $7, individuals $10, institutions $20) - PC April 1979 RAIN Page 7 Future ofSmall Business in America, a report of the Subcommittee on Antitrust,Consumers and Employment, House of Representatives, 95th Congress, Second Session, November 9, 1978, free from: U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, DC 20402 The myth is that large corporations produce most of the jobs. The reality is that small businesses have accounted for virtually all new employment created in the private sector in the past eight years. The largest firms as listed in the "Fortune 1000" generated only .8 percent of new jobs. This statistic is included in the above house subcommittee report, Future ofSmall Business. Besides its role as a job creator, the report examines small business's current status and the problems it faces with TV advertising, federal paperwork and a discriminatory tax system. What becomes obvious is that small business's share of the pie is declining due to increased economic concentration and monopolization by large corporations. However, not only small business is hurt by this trend. Consumers paid approximately $175 billion in overcharges flowing from the monopolized 1/3 of the U.S. economy. Not surprisingly, recommendations to remedy the problem emphasized the need for vigorou~ enforcement of the antitrust laws. -PC
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