> One possible explanation for tenure is that university departments > are to a large degree worker managed firms. One problem with a worker > David Friedman
David's explanations make sense, but I'm empirically skeptical on two grounds: (1) Why is it that only educational worker managed firms have tenure? I could be wrong, but why don't kibbutzes have tenure? or Berkeley's bohemian co-ops? (2) I am beginning to doubt that "worker managed firm" describes the university. I'm not faculty (yet!) but from what I understand, the university administration has great power in the university. If they want, administrators can change standards for tenure and cut budgets and they control the physical plant, and other stuff. The "worker managed lable" applies just to the department. There is no reason the administration has to allow tenure to exist. Fabio
