Success Metrics

We measure success by worker wellbeing and ecological sustainability, not capitalist metrics like GDP growth or job creation.

What percentage of total economic output goes to workers versus capital? Currently, worker share has declined for decades while capital share increases. Success means reversing this: workers receiving larger share of the value they create.

Percentage of Workers Who Are Also Owners

How many workers have ownership stake in their enterprises? Cooperative membership, stock ownership, profit sharing. Currently, most workers are simply employees with no ownership. Success means growing percentage of workers who are also owners through cooperative formation and worker ownership programs.

Percentage of Government Contracts to Worker Cooperatives

How much of the $600 billion or more in annual federal contracts goes to worker cooperatives versus extractive corporations? Currently, nearly zero. Success means 30% or more within five years, building worker ownership at scale.

Housing Cost as Percentage of Income

What do workers pay for housing? Currently, many pay 50% or more of income. Success means 25% maximum through abundant public housing and ending speculation.

Healthcare Outcomes and Access

Do people have healthcare? Can they access it without bankruptcy? What are health outcomes? Currently, tens of millions lack coverage, medical bankruptcy is common, and outcomes lag other developed countries despite higher costs. Success means universal coverage, zero medical bankruptcy, and improved outcomes at lower total cost through single-payer.

Educational Attainment and Debt Levels

Can people access education? Do they graduate with debt? Currently, education is gated by ability to pay and students graduate with crushing debt. Success means free public education at all levels and zero student debt.

Wealth Inequality

How concentrated is wealth? Currently, wealth inequality is at historic highs. Success means reducing inequality through progressive taxation, worker ownership, and anti-monopoly enforcement. Measure using Gini coefficient and wealth distribution percentiles.

Democratic Participation Rates

Do people participate in democracy? Voting rates, community meeting attendance, cooperative membership meetings, participatory budgeting engagement. Currently, participation is low due to cynicism and time poverty. Success means increasing participation through economic security, community control, and demonstrated effectiveness.

Cooperative Formation and Success Rates

How many new cooperatives form? How many survive and thrive? Currently, formation is minimal due to lack of support. Success means hundreds of new cooperatives annually, high survival rates through technical assistance and preferential procurement, and growing cooperative sector.

Public Trust in Institutions

Do people trust government and institutions? Currently, trust is at historic lows due to visible corruption and failure to deliver. Success means increasing trust through transparency, anti-corruption enforcement, rapid implementation, and demonstrated results.

Carbon Emissions Per Capita

How much does each person’s consumption contribute to climate change? Currently, emissions are unsustainably high. Success means dramatic reduction through attacking unnecessary consumption, ending planned obsolescence, eliminating pointless commuting, and shifting from private to public consumption.

Product Lifespans

How long do products last? Currently, phones break in two to three years, appliances in five. Success means phones lasting seven or more years, appliances lasting 15 or more years through right to repair laws and mandatory minimum lifespans.

Percentage of Goods Repaired vs. Replaced

Do people repair products or replace them? Currently, replacement dominates because repair is blocked. Success means majority of products repaired rather than replaced, reducing resource consumption and waste.

Percentage Working Remotely vs. Commuting

How many workers commute unnecessarily? Currently, millions commute for work that could be done remotely. Success means remote work as default with commuting only when necessary, reducing emissions, time waste, and cost.

Local Economic Multiplier

Does money circulate locally or extract to distant shareholders? Currently, monopolies extract wealth to distant shareholders. Success means local cooperatives and small businesses keeping money circulating in communities through worker ownership and progressive corporate taxation penalizing monopoly scale.

Food Waste Percentage

How much food is wasted? Currently, 40% of food production is wasted. Success means dramatic reduction through eliminating cosmetic standards, requiring supermarket donation of edible food, public distribution networks, and ending subsidies that incentivize overproduction.

Time Spent in Meaningful vs. Extractive Labor

Do people spend time doing work that matters or work that only exists to enable extraction? Currently, huge portions of economy are extractive (insurance claim denial, marketing manufactured consumption, planned obsolescence engineering, financial speculation). Success means shifting labor to meaningful work (care, education, infrastructure, arts, community service) through eliminating extraction and universal basic services.

Why These Metrics

These measure actual human wellbeing and ecological sustainability. They show whether people have housing, healthcare, education. Whether they control their work. Whether communities have power. Whether environment is protected. Whether products last. Whether extraction is reduced.

GDP can grow while workers suffer. Jobs can be created that are extractive and pointless. These capitalist metrics hide what matters.

We measure what actually matters: Can people live with dignity? Do they control their lives? Is environment protected? Is extraction reduced? Are communities thriving?

That’s success.