Expanding democracy in politics has long been a central theme for Bernie Sanders. But the Vermont senator’s latest proposals take these efforts in an altogether more radical and potentially transformative direction: namely, the extension of democracy into the workplace and economic life.

As Sanders put it in an interview:

We can move to an economy where workers feel that they’re not just a cog in the machine — one where they have power over their jobs and can make decisions. Democracy isn’t just the opportunity to vote. What democracy really means is having control over your life.