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Beyond democratic degeneration, horizontal and liberated organization? The agonistic approach of a Belgian food co-op

Author

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  • Kévin Pastier

    (ICD Business School, LaRA, France)

Abstract

This research focuses on democratic organizations and the risk of degeneration. The author studies how horizontal management may maintain a democratic organization’s stability through the examination of a Belgium food cooperative with democratic governance. The article reaches two main conclusions. First, it concludes with a simple empirical finding: horizontal organization does not necessarily prevent degeneration. However, it stresses that implementing horizontal management in democratic organizations allows for daily members’ politicization and then the organization’s pluralization. Second, it proposes a theoretical contribution for a better understanding of democratic degeneration. In a horizontally organized structure, the degeneration process differs from what is typically noted in the literature, as it is triggered by the politicization of the members. Therefore, an agonistic reinterpretation of the traditional degenerative stages is proposed: (1) fusion, (2) pluralization, (3) conflictualization, and (4) centralization.

Suggested Citation

  • Kévin Pastier, 2024. "Beyond democratic degeneration, horizontal and liberated organization? The agonistic approach of a Belgian food co-op," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 45(4), pages 1325-1349, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecoind:v:45:y:2024:i:4:p:1325-1349
    DOI: 10.1177/0143831X231223696
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ignacio Bretos & Rory Ridley-Duff & David Wren, 2025. "Crafting alternative work organisations: Paradoxes of workplace democracy and emancipation in worker-buyout cooperatives," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 46(4), pages 1002-1030, November.

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