ORGANIZING LOCALLY, COMPETING GLOBALLY - THE KIBBUTZ FACTORY AS HOME AND WORK

In this paper I examine one aspect of the organization of industrial p roduction in the kibbutz that could advance our understanding of equit able economic development in local communities: the spatial unificatio n of home and work within the kibbutz. This feature highlights the pos itive role of the spatial organization of production in preserving the social structure of the kibbutz. Specifically, the distinct spatial s tructure of the kibbutz facilitates the articulation of the kibbutz's ideological values and thereby provides an appropriate framework to co ntain the advancement both of the social and of the technical division s of labor. I contend that the social and economic attributes of the k ibbutz are embedded in a spatial configuration that unites work and ho me. The factory is part of the kibbutz home. In other words, there is both a spatial and a social unification of home and work. An understan ding of the performance of kibbutz industry, and its commitment to the community, cannot be appreciated without recognizing the contribution s both of the spatial and of the social structures.