Was leistet die Mitbestimmung: was sagt die Wissenschaft? What does co-determination Do? What can we learn from research?

2016 marks the 40th anniversary of the passage of the German Co-determination Act of 1976. This law, which mandates the parity representation of workers in the supervisory boards of companies with more than 2000 employees in Germany, constitutes one of the key pillars of the ‘German model’ of corporate governance and industrial relations. This occasion offers an opportunity for researchers to assess the contribution of co-determination to economic democracy and the social market economy in the context of internationalization, liberalization and digitalization.

With this background in mind the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung and the Hans Böckler Foundation are organizing a scientific conference to take place on 12 May 2016 at the WZB. The core sessions of this conference will focus on new research with relevance for co-determination and its future perspectives. Contributions from a variety of fields including sociology, political science, industrial relations, economics and law will address the following questions:

What economic and social impact has the Co-determination Act had?
What do workers want in terms of “voice” at the individual, plant and company level?
How does co-determination at the company level interact with other levels of worker representation?
What are the main challenges facing co-determination?
What impact has co-determination had in other countries and through European legal forms (including the European Company)?

Keynote addresses and a panel discussion will also address the overall contribution of co-determination and identify key challenges and avenues for future research.

To register please fill out the following form by April 29, 2016: http://www.boeckler.de/veranstaltung_62726.htm