Although sociologists have long recognized the civic effects of workplace structure, extant theory has yet to make sense of growing evidence that civic life also affects what happens at work. The authors leverage the first national, mixed methods study of worker cooperatives—an extreme case of participation in the workplace—to develop a new hypothesis of civic work. Civic work describes how people opt into or create workplaces that embody ideals of the good society or serve the common good. Whereas previous studies assume that workplace participation fosters civic participation manifesting only outside of work, this article’s analysis of survey and interview data finds that people in worker cooperatives make a difference both on and off the clock. By theorizing selection and recognizing work itself as a site of civic action, the authors’ civic work hypothesis raises new questions and contributes to broader conversations about the changing nature of work across the economy.
Cite
Civic Work: Making a Difference on and off the Clock
Schlachter LH and Ársælsson KM. (2023) Civic Work: Making a Difference on and off the Clock. American Journal of Sociology 130(1): 44-87. https://doi.org/10.1086/730771
Coverage
Civic Engagement at Work in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (2024), by Chana R. Schoenberger.
Kristinn Már Ársælsson 