Press coverage

Sustainable Property Rights

In an interview with GEO magazine, Tilo Wesche explains that, in cases of doubt, people’s property rights take precedence over environmental protection rights, thereby accelerating species extinction and the climate crisis. As a sustainable solution to this situation, he proposes granting nature property rights over itself.

To the interview (paywall)

Decoding China: Who will shape the internet of the future?

Deutsche Welle reports on Stefan Schmalz's research into different regulations governing the internet in the USA and China, which are based on different world views. 

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‘The underrepresentation of East Germans threatens democracy’

In an interview with mdr, Lars Vogel discusses the underrepresentation of East Germans in the economy, among other areas. 

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Stefan Schmalz in Fakt magazine

Stefan Schmalz was interviewed by the ARD magazine Fakt about the increase in strikes in eastern Germany in light of the ongoing labour dispute at SRW Metalfloat, a company owned by Chinese investors. 

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Affordable housing in Thuringia

Lisa Vollmer provides insights into her study on challenges in housing provision in Thuringia for the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. The issue of ownership in the form of state-owned housing companies also plays a role here. 

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Wave of strikes in Germany

In an interview with tagesschau, Stefan Schmalz discusses the current strikes in Germany, in which ownership structures also play a role, for example at Deutsche Bahn. 

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What is the stance of Chinese investors on collective bargaining agreements and works councils?

Stefan Schmalz and Klaus Dörre were interviewed by MDR as experts on the dispute between owners and trade unions following the takeover of companies in Germany by Chinese investors.

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From the “succession regime” to the 'exit regime'

In an interview with wirmagazin, Isabell Stamm discusses how the regulation of succession in family businesses has changed in recent years. 

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Chinese investors are mostly cooperative

In an interview with IG Metall Leipzig, Stefan Schmalz explains how Chinese investors typically operate in Germany and what impact this has on employees. 

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East German masculinity

In an interview with the taz newspaper, Sylka Scholz discusses the image of masculinity in eastern Germany. Property also plays a role here: ‘The inheritance of property will further increase and solidify the material differences between east and west in the coming years.’

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Inflation fuels willingness to strike

In an interview with taz, Stefan Schmalz reports on current strikes related to inflation and on the “Streikmonitor” (strike monitor), which documents strikes in Germany. 

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Special climate fund – now!

In an article for Freitag, Carsten Herrmann-Pillath addresses the millennium task of tackling climate change. He also discusses mistakes made in the past and a possible solution for the future. 

Link to the article

Rights for Nature Within the Western Legal Tradition

How can the Western legal tradition be used to justify the idea that nature should belong to itself? As Tilo Wesche explains in an interview with RiffReporter, the rights of nature do not necessarily have to be linked to the idea of a “sacred” nature; rather, they can simply be derived from our concept of property.

To the interview (paywall)

The Rights of Nature

The newspaper “Freitag” has published a detailed review of Tilo Wesche's book "The Rights of Nature". With its call to grant nature itself “civil rights”—that is, property rights—the book is described as “an intervention in the fray” and proves “that philosophy does not have to take place in an ivory tower.”

To the article (paywall)

“Outdoors” with Tilo Wesche: On the Rights of Nature

On the “Draußen” podcast, Tilo Wesche talks about his new book, "The Rights of Nature": “I want to develop a concept of sustainability based on existing property rights. I want to use existing property law to show why there is already a built-in limit of sustainability within that law—we simply need to articulate it more clearly,” he says in the podcast episode.

To the podcast

Expropriated day after day

In her guest article for the Frankfurter Rundschau, Silke van Dyk notes that the fundamental patterns of distribution, property, and infrastructure policy necessitate a “bottom-up redistribution.” 

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Historical connections between property, race, and identity politics

Jürgen Martschukat writes in Geschichte der Gegenwart (History of the Present) about the origins of the racial wealth gap and its repercussions to this day. 

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Sein und Streit - The public sphere and private platforms

In the Deutschlandfunk radio program “Streit und Sein” on Habermas' “The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere,” Sebastian Sevignani criticizes the power of digital private public platforms. 

Click here to listen to the program

A difficult act of balance – trade unions and climate protection

Klaus Dörre is interviewed on Deutschlandfunk about cooperation between trade unions and climate activists. He talks about difficulties and challenges, but also about new alliances. 

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"The lower half owns nothing"

In this interview, Silke van Dyk discusses the redistribution of wealth from the bottom to the top over recent decades and how class is linked to life expectancy. 

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The Universities of Erfurt and Jena intend to investigate ownership structures

A dpa news report was published on the kick-off meeting of the Collaborative Research Centre and its central research questions.

Link to the dpa report

‘Private property is being called into question again’

In an interview with nd Tilman Reitz reports on the newly established Collaborative Research Centre on ‘Structural Change in Property Ownership’.

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Questions posed to the Collaborative Research Centre ‘Structural Change in Property Ownership’

Silke van Dyk and Hartmut Rosa answer five questions on the occasion of the opening conference of the Collaborative Research Centre. 

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Vacancies despite housing shortage – a roof over one's head as an object of speculation

Tilo Wesche discusses the specifics of home ownership in a WDR feature.

Watch the feature here

‘Ownership structures are becoming increasingly politically controversial.’

SFB co-spokesperson Silke van Dyk discusses the increasing focus on property and ownership structures in an interview with Deutschlandfunk. 

‘Who owns the wind?’

The FAZ reports on the new Collaborative Research Centre ‘Structural Change in Property Ownership’. 

Read the article here (paywall)

Researching structural change in property ownership

The German Research Foundation is funding the Collaborative Research Centre/Transregio ‘Structural Change in Property Ownership’ at the University of Jena and the University of Erfurt.

Read the full article here