The neo-liberal era was accompanied by the rise of the 'shareholder value' creed, stating that firms should rightfully be owned by and accountable to stock markets. The current economic and fiscal crisis creates space to challenge this assumption, and investigate new models of ownership, organisation and corporate governance. These new models need considering not only for their economic merits, but for their ability to distribute power to employees and communities. This project raises profound economic and philosophical questions about the nature of ownership, the structure of the firm and policy options for diversifying Britain's business structures. In addition to assessing all the available evidence on the social and economic benefits associated with alternative models, the project draws on original case studies from three employee-owned firms in the UK, to look at the culture and psychology associated with this form of ownership, and what are the main obstacles towards extending it further.