How can worker ownership improve job quality and firm performance in historically low-wage sectors?
Read our report
POWER Act Research Analysis and Final Report
This report is based on a study conducted during 2023 and 2024 as part of the POWER (Promote Ownership by Workers for Economic Recovery) Act, California State Assembly Bill 2849 (2022).
Our study asked, How can worker ownership improve job quality and firm performance in historically low-wage sectors?
Read our full report (PDF, 314 pages) on the benefits, barriers, and strategies for High Road Worker Ownership. Access individual sections and articles on our report page.
Government, philanthropy, economic development, and academic audiences may want to read the executive summary (PDF, 6 pages) as well as our briefing papers on strategies for high road worker ownership (PDF, 6 pages) and evidence on the effects of worker ownership (PDF, 9 pages).
For questions, contact Professor David I. Levine.
Watch our report webinar
POWER Act Study Report: Benefits, Barriers, and Strategies for High Road Worker Ownership – Jan. 25, 2025
POWER Act Study Report: Benefits, Barriers, and Strategies for High Road Worker Ownership – Jan. 25, 2025
For a summary of our study report, watch our 2025 Kelso Workshop presentation (YouTube, 35min). This webinar covers:
- Study goal and key findings
- Case study details on home care, construction, and staffing
- Details on two feature strategies: 1) certifying High Road Worker-Owned firms, and 2) creating a grant program for “umbrella groups”
For an audience discussion, see an earlier presentation in our Dec. 16, 2025 report debut webinar (YouTube, 90min).
Meet our study team
Team members
The study team members who conducted research and helped prepare this report include:
- David Levine – Professor, UC Berkeley – Principal Investigator, through the Institute for Business and Social Impact within the Haas School of Business
- Daniel Spitzberg – UC Berkeley – Report Editor and Researcher (expert interviews)
- Adria Scharf – Associate Director, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing (ISEOPS) – Researcher (ACLC) and Expert Adviser
- William Foley – PhD Student, Rutgers ISEOPS – Researcher (literature review)
- K. MacKenzie Scott – PhD Candidate, MIT Sloan School – Researcher (case studies)
- Gonçalo Costa – Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School – Researcher (statistics)
- Minsun Ji – Executive Director, Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center – Researcher (case studies)
- Douglas Kruse – Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations and Research Director and ISEOPS – Expert Adviser
- Ed Carberry – Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Boston – Consulting Adviser
- Jungook Kim – Assistant Professor, Chatham University – Consulting Adviser
- Douglas Hirsch – UC Berkeley – Project Manager
- Ray Rios – UC Berkeley Haas School of Business – Administrative Adviser
- Gabriella Rosario – UC Berkeley – Research Intern
- Adam Ross – UC Berkeley Institute for Business and Social Impact – Adviser
To learn more about our team and all contributors who helped with this study and report, visit our study team page.