Work may provide subsistence, but for most people it is a necessary evil. For communities, businesses lie at the heart of our economic system, but often come with negative externalities. This article considers whether worker cooperatives will tend to have more positive impacts on the happiness of their workers and of the community than do traditional businesses. Worker cooperatives are businesses, but they are rooted in the community. Based on the work of 19th‐century political economist William Thompson, I examine what I call the alignment thesis, which suggests that the democratic and ownership structure of cooperatives will align the interests of the enterprise with that of the workers and the community beyond. I explore this question both analytically and by reviewing the existing empirical literature. I find that the impact on workers is generally positive, mostly because of the establishment of democratic control, better working conditions and job security, but it is limited where social inequalities that disadvantage women and people of color are replicated in the cooperative. The larger community impacts, however, are less certain, because worker cooperatives do not necessarily alter the logic of capitalist production for exchange. I conclude with thoughts for further research.

中文翻译：

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幸福理论与工人合作社：对联盟理论的批判

工作可以维持生计，但对大多数人而言，这是必不可少的邪恶。对于社区而言，企业是我们经济体系的核心，但往往带有负面的外部性。本文考虑了工人合作社是否比传统企业更倾向于对工人和社区的幸福产生积极影响。工人合作社是企业，但它们植根于社区。在19世纪政治经济学家威廉·汤普森（William Thompson）的工作基础上，我研究了我所说的结盟论点，这表明合作社的民主和所有权结构将使企业利益与其他工人和社区的利益结盟。我通过分析和回顾现有的经验文献来探讨这个问题。我发现对工人的影响总体上是积极的，主要是因为建立了民主控制，更好的工作条件和工作保障，但是在合作社中复制了不利于妇女和有色人种的社会不平等现象时，这种影响是有限的。但是，由于工人合作社并不一定改变资本主义生产的交换逻辑，因此对更大范围的社区影响尚不确定。最后，我提出了进一步研究的想法。因为工人合作社并不一定改变资本主义生产的交换逻辑。最后，我提出了进一步研究的想法。因为工人合作社并不一定改变资本主义生产的交换逻辑。最后，我提出了进一步研究的想法。