WI Wage-Earner Funds became commonplace?
The basis idea of the proposal as put forward in Sweden in the 1970's, was for a surcharge (10% I believe) of corporation profits would be set aside by the employer and given to employees on condition of it being used to purchase shares in the corporation. Over a very long period of time, the idea was to have business pay to have themselves taken over by their employees. One of the key points which was said in favour of this policy was that it would enable the 'crisis of social democracy' that was affecting Sweden (and the West more broadly) in the 1970's, as by transfering ownership of firms to their employees it would eliminate the natural competing interests of shareholder versus employees.
Whilst thes funds were to some extent implemented in the 1970's and 80's in Sweden, they eventually folded due to strident business opposition.
What makes me interested in this is that in many ways it appears like it could work. Unlike the Alternative Economic Strategy of the Bennite Left of the British Labour Party, which relied on over-regulation and even doses of outmoded nationalisation (with all the inefficiency that entails), wage-earner funds would seem to enable economic democracy with market discipline.
So how would society be different if Wage-Earner funds had been implemented (and I mean outside Sweden, in places like the USA and the UK).