Lautogestione

Lautogestione is a form of organizational and economic self-management in which workers or members govern a project through democratic decision-making, collective ownership or control of resources, and non-hierarchical structures. It emphasizes participation, transparency, and responsibility shared across workers rather than centralized control by owners or state authorities.

Historically, the concept has roots in the broader tradition of worker self-management that emerged in the late 19th and 20th centuries and gained prominence in Italy during the 1960s and 1970s. In that period, factories and social centers experimented with running operations collectively, often as a challenge to capitalist management and as a form of social experiment within labor movements and leftist politics. The term is used today in discussions of cooperative enterprises and the social economy.

Practices typically include general assemblies, worker councils, rotating leadership, and transparent accounting. Production planning, wage setting, and surplus distribution are decided collectively, with emphasis on meeting community needs and ensuring accountability. Legal forms range from worker cooperatives to recuperated or worker-owned enterprises, sometimes operating under state or municipal regulations while maintaining internal democratic governance.

In contemporary discourse, lautogestione appears in debates about sustainable development, social justice, and crisis-era industrial policy. Supporters argue that it can empower workers, increase resilience, and align incentives with shared goals, while critics note challenges in scaling, access to capital, and coordination across large operations. Real-world examples often involve small to medium-sized enterprises and community projects rather than large multinational firms.

See also autogestione, worker self-management, cooperative, social economy, participatory democracy.