Workplace democracy and worker health: strategies for implementation.

A large body of literature documents that increased worker participation leads to improvements in the working environment. This article identifies the Swedish and Norwegian sources of some of this research and notes the link with social policy, namely, legislative reform in those countries. In contrast, the United States has resisted legislative solutions, but that may be changing. New strategies to democratize the workplace are a result of global economic competition, desire to reduce job stress and compensation costs, and more successful application of new technologies at work. These are examined and some conclusions are drawn about next stages in the reform efforts.