This volume is an examination of the origins, characteristics and performance of employee-owned firms. It focuses on firms that have converted to either partial or full employee ownership using recent institutional, fiscal and legal innovations. In particular, the book is the first in-depth study of Employee Share Ownership Plans (ESOPs). Key questions addressed include: * under what cicumstances do firms convert to employee ownership? * What are the main organizational and institutional features of firms with ESOPs? * Are ESOPs an effective method of stakeholder capitalism?Based on five years of empirical research, this is a topical contribution to recent debates on the challenging nature of employment.