'Self-exploitation' and Workers' Co-operatives—or how the British Left get their concepts wrong

ABSTRACT  In this article I examine the concept 'self-exploitation' and its use in criticising workers' co-operatives. I argue that the concept is incoherent and that the kind of exploitation which members of workers' co-ops actually face is 'market-exploitation'. Moreover, some of the criticisms of workers' co-ops which are made by those who employ the confused concept 'self-exploitation' are shown to be inapposite when 'market-exploitation' is recognised to be the real problem. I conclude with a discussion of the reasons for the acceptance of the misguided concept 'self-exploitation' by a number on the Left in Britain today.