Commentary

The Going Wage Is Not Necessarily a Fair Wage

Capitalism,Commentary,Enterprise Theory,Labor and Workplace 167

Reference code: C26-08 Why an employer and worker can agree on a wage that has already been shaped by employer labor-market power An employer offers a wage. A worker accepts it. Most people naturally assume that the agreement establishes a fair wage for the work. Modern research on labor monopsony...

Artificial intelligence tools were used for literature identification, organizational assistance, drafting support, and editorial revision. All substantive arguments, institutional designs, legal analysis, and conclusions are the work of the author. The author reviewed and verified all sources and citations.

How Reserves and Funds Protect Workers in a Downturn

Capitalism,Commentary,Economics and Surplus Allocation,Labor and Workplace 1176

Reference code: C25-15 This commentary is one of a two-part set of commentaries that examines worker precarity in down economies. What “Reserves and Funds” Mean in Practice Reserves and internal funds reduce precarity only when they operate as pre-positioned commitments rather than...

Durable Worker Security in Economic Downturns

Capitalism,Commentary,Economics and Surplus Allocation,Labor and Workplace 1372

Reference code: C25-14 This commentary is one of a two-part set of commentaries that examines worker precarity in down economies. Why Downturns Turn Jobs into Precarity Economic downturns translate quickly into worker precarity because the employment relationship in the United States is often the...

The Problem of Captured Surplus

Capitalism,Commentary,Economics and Surplus Allocation,Foundations and Philosophy 2006

Why A Commons-Based Enterprise Model Is Needed Now Reference code: C25-13 Historical Drift of the Postwar Social Contract In the decades after the Second World War, households in the United States could reasonably expect that diligent work would translate into stability, modest upward mobility and...

Projected Reach of Commons Enterprises in the United States

Capitalism,Commentary,Economics and Surplus Allocation,Enterprise Theory,Foundations and Philosophy 1805

Reference code: C25-12 Recent data from the Federal Reserve and related analyses show just how concentrated wealth has become in the United States. The Federal Reserve’s Distributional Financial Accounts, summarized in a June 2025 article from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, report that the...

Executive Role and Board Stewardship

Commentary,Governance and Structure 1219

Reference code: C25-11 This commentary is one of a two-part set of commentaries that examines the principles and practical design choices involved in Small Scale Commons Governance. Part Two─Executive Role and Board Stewardship Within this compact design, the role of an executive director or...

Smaller Structures with the Same Core

Commentary,Governance and Structure 1236

Reference code: C25-10 This commentary is one of a two-part set of commentaries that examines the principles and practical design choices involved in Small Scale Commons Governance. Part One─Designing Small Scale Commons Governance This commentary is the first part of a two-part guide on how small...