Alfredo Carlos, political science graduate student, has been awarded a $5,000 Q. A. Shaw McKean Jr. Fellowship in Democratic Capitalism to support his dissertation research on worker-owned and developed cooperative work environments.

Using observations and interviews with employees at two co-ops – WAGES and Evergreen Cooperatives – he plans to show how these organizations are transforming low-income communities by providing meaningful ownership jobs with dignity. The project will involve travel to Oakland and Cleveland where the co-ops are based.

The award is funded by the Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations and will run from March-September 2013.