Shared Capital Initiatives

Publication: Report

Shared capital, defined as a broadly distributed pattern of rights over productive assets, can be a powerful instrument to address economic and social inequalities.

We argue that initiatives to bring about shared capital can foster both redistribution and recognition, and thereby bring about more inclusive and peaceful societies. Based on experience, we suggest moreover that they are feasible and can be advanced by suitable policies and actions—at local, national, and global levels.

Ariel landscape photo of the Halimu Salak National Park.

Landscapes of Halimun Salak National Park. Photo: © Kate Evans/CIFOR. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/cifor/35482496890, (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Shared capital can involve distribution of various rights of an asset, including those of use, control, income, and transfer. This paper considers nine cases which feature some experience of shared capital involving various kinds of rights being distributed and relate these to different kinds of assets. In almost every case, the state has an important role to play in facilitating the distribution of rights. The cases considered involve the following:

  • codetermination (workers’ role in decision-making in firms)
  • employee share ownership
  • small and medium sized enterprises
  • social wealth funds
  • individual capital endowments
  • worker cooperatives
  • land reforms
  • public asset distribution
  • digital economy

Authored by Sanjay Reddy, this paper identifies a range of possible policies and actions to promote shared capital, which can take the form of provision of coordination, information, regulation, financing, and direct transfer. In each case some role for the state is likely to be required, although it may involve a light touch in some instances and a more substantial role in others. The particular local and national initiatives to be promoted will vary depending on history and context. There is, however, an indispensable role for global initiatives to promote shared capital. These gain a particular force from the relevance of shared capital initiatives to promoting a number of the Sustainable Development Goals, relating especially to inclusion and inequality, prosperity, and peace.

Read the full paper: Shared Capital Initiatives – for Redistribution and Recognition

This publication is part of the Pathfinders Grand Challenge on Inequality & Exclusion. More information about this initiative can be found here.

Related Resources

  • Publication: Report September 17, 2021 Inequality and Exclusion

    From Rhetoric to Action: Delivering Equality & Inclusion

    The flagship report of the Pathfinders Grand Challenge on Inequality and Exclusion is about the solutions that will deliver equality and inclusion. It is the culmination of several years of research and mobilization undertaken by a unique partnership of ten countries, the United Nations, the World Bank, the OECD, Oxfam, and CIVICUS, along with numerous partners and international experts. The report constructs a bridge between the rhetoric of “build back better” and action: a bridge between promise and progress.

  • Publication: Report April 30, 2021 Inequality and Exclusion

    The Way We Voluntarily Pay Taxes

    This background paper provides a framework that channels tax morale via trust and fairness directly and three elements for each one indirectly; trustworthiness of the government, reciprocity, and transparency/accountability for trust and three types of justice for fairness: distributive, procedural and retributive. This paper also makes a special distinction to the issue of corruption and how it relates to the elements within this framework.

Stay Connected

Subscribe to our newsletter and receive regular updates on our latest events, analysis, and resources.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.