Ayden Clarke
Ayden Clarke is a fourth-year student majoring in Sociology.
His fourth-year honours thesis uses qualitative methods to examine the social and economic challenges facing worker cooperatives in British Columbia.
When he is not doing schoolwork, he is playing floor hockey, hanging out with friends, or desperately trying to get through his ever-growing reading list.
We spoke to Ayden about his research on worker co-operatives and what he’s learned from his thesis research.
Abstract
Worker cooperatives are democratically managed firms which provide workers with a number of benefits, including increasing their feeling of agency and job security (Charles et al., 2020; Lees, 2024). These cooperatives are often supported by a network of organizations that provide technical, financial, and logistical assistance.
Despite these clear benefits to workers, data shows that cooperatives comprise a small percentage of firms in within the country (Statistics Canada, 2023). Very little research has attempted to explain this lack of cooperatives in Canada, which is important given the unique cultural, political, and legal environment that the country resides in. Moreover, the academic literature examining the support ecosystem surrounding worker cooperatives has focused on the provinces of Ontario and Quebec (Spicer & Zhong, 2022).
Addressing this gap, this paper explores the worker cooperative support ecosystem in British Columbia, attempting to determine the challenges that these organizations face within the province. To answer this question, I conducted 10 qualitative semi-structured interviews with members of worker cooperatives and support organizations within British Columbia. While data collection and analysis is ongoing, in my preliminary interviews, participants have described the network of organizations responsible for assisting with the creation and development of worker cooperatives. Additionally, they identified a number of social, cultural, economic, political, and legal factors that created impediments to the proliferation of worker cooperatives.
These findings are significant because they address a gap in the literature and identify some of the challenges that worker cooperatives face, allowing for the development of policy solutions and public awareness campaigns that will remove barriers to the creation of worker cooperatives.
How did you become interested in this topic? Why did you choose it for your thesis?
Although I have always been curious about the role of work in our lives, my interest in this field of sociology was especially piqued when I took SOCI 260 (Work and Technology) with Dr. Elizabeth Hirsh.
My interest in worker cooperatives originated from a YouTube video I saw years ago. What I found the most intriguing about these organizations was the way that they increased the agency of workers and brought democratic values and practices directly into the workplace. Although worker cooperatives directly benefit workers, there are very few of them in Canada, particularly outside of Quebec. I set out to understand why this was the case, focusing on British Columbia.
Can you summarize your project and its main findings for us?
To date, I have conducted 12 interviews with members of various worker cooperatives in British Columbia or individuals who work for the support organizations that provide assistance to labour managed firms. The research question guiding my research is: what factors contribute to the lack of worker cooperatives in British Columbia as compared to more traditional firms?
My preliminary analysis shows that some of the commonly cited reasons for the low number of cooperatives include a lack of awareness and the belief that the individualistic focus of our society makes it difficult to foster the collaborative environment needed for the cooperative model to exist and thrive. Other cited barriers to the proliferation of cooperatives have been the lack of funding and the inability of worker cooperatives to acquire loans and capital to either start up or further expand.
What was your favourite part of doing research?
The thing I have enjoyed the most about my research has been the opportunity to speak with members of worker cooperatives as well as reading through the literature on these types of organization. Through both of these I have been able to hear the stories of people who I have found to be truly inspiring. In particular, I have learned so much from them as they describe how they attempt to rethink what work is and what our relationship to work could be and should be.
Has this experience influenced what you want to do after you complete your degree and how?
I have really enjoyed the research process! In fact, having this opportunity has inspired me to apply for graduate school. Going forward, I am interested in pursuing a career conducting research.
What was the most difficult part of this learning journey? What was most satisfying?
I found conducting interviews to be the most challenging as well as the most satisfying part of this project.
During my first interview, I felt so unprepared and in over my head but as time has gone by I have slowly built up confidence and skills. I find that change in my comfort level to be a very satisfying reflection my hard work and the time I have spent reviewing transcripts of my of interviews. Additionally, one byproduct of conducting these interviews is that I am becoming better at listening to people in conversation in my personal life.
