Ownership of companies: The emergence and transformation of social corporate constitutions

Outline

The project assumes that the legal systems of most welfare states have given rise to certain forms of social corporate constitutions, which limit the property rights of corporate shareholders in order to protect workers (e.g., by granting them co-determination, ensuring that corporate decisions are governed by collective agreements, and giving them equity participation).

It draws a functional comparison of the legal systems of the United Kingdom, United States, Germany and France, exploring the legal structures that underpin workers’ influence on corporate decision-making processes.

Project activities

Publications

Scientific publications
  • Langbein, Helene; Giesecke, Felix (2024): “Keine Nachholung des Beteiligungsverfahrens bei Einsatz einer zunächst arbeitnehmerlos gegründeten SE als Holding”, HSI-Report Nr. 2, 4-9, also published in AuR 10, 389-392.
  • Langbein, Helene (2024): “Multinational Corporations and the Blocking of Trade Unions in Germany”, In: Critical Perspectives on International Business, Special Issue: “Multinational Corporations and Grand Challenges: Part of the problem, part of the solution?”, EarlyCite: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/cpoib-02-2023-0012/full/html
  • Seifert, Achim (2024): “Oscillating between Labour Law and Corporate Law: The Status of Employee Representatives in the Boards”, In: Pietrogiovanni, P. et al. (eds): The Law of Managers in Europe - Rights, Duties, Protections and Liabilities of Executive and Non-Executive Directors in a European Perspective, Bulletin of Comparative Labour Law (Wolter Kluwer).
  • Langbein, Helene (2023): “The German Lieferkettensorgfaltsplichtengesetz (LkSG) – a Step Towards More Humanity in Supply Chains?”, In: Comparative Labor Law and Policy Journal, Dispatch No. 47.
  • Seifert, Achim (2023a): “Droit européen des sociétés. Participation des travailleurs et constitution d'une SE par transformation Note sous Cour de Justice de l’Union Européenne (Grande Chambre), 18 octobre 2022, no C-677/20 (Industriegewerkschaft Metall, Ver.di – Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft c. SAP SE, SE-Betriebsrat der SAP SE)”, In: Revue des sociétés (Dalloz) no 3, 2023, 179-181.
  • Seifert, Achim (2023b): “Le modèle allemand de participation des travailleurs au sein de l’entreprise à l’épreuve du marché intérieur de l’Union Européenne”, In: Frédéric Géa/Barbara Palli (Dir.): L’avenir du droit du travail. Perspectives internationale et comparée, Brüssel (éditions Bruylant), 439-459.
  • Stamm, Isabell (2023): "From Nurturing the Successor to Impressing New Founders: How firm platforms reframe match-making in succession“, In: Journal of Organizational Sociology 1 (1). DOI: 10.1515/joso-2022-0001.
  • Stamm, Isabell; Sandham, Allan (2023): "Exit in the German Mittelstand – the emergence of a new transfer regime“, MPI Discussion Paper.
  • Stamm, Isabell; Schürmann, Lena: Scheidgen, Katharina (2023): "Dependent on the market: Competing norms of solidarity with the solo self-employed“, In: Work, Employment and Society, online first. DOI: 10.1177/09500170231206083.
  • Seifert, Achim (2021a): “Der Wirtschaftsausschuss : vom Wandel einer betriebsverfassungsrechtlichen Institution”, In: Deinert, Olaf/Klebe, Thomas/ Pieper, Ralf/Schmidt, Marlene/Wankel, Sibylle (Hrsg.): Arbeit, Recht, Politik, Geschichte: Festschrift für Michael Kittner zum 80. Geburtstag, Frankfurt am Main: BUND Verlag, 346-352.
  • Seifert, Achim (2021d): “Mitbestimmung der Arbeitnehmer in den Unternehmensorganen”, In: Monika Schlachter/Michael Heinig (Hrsg.), Enzyklopädie des Europarechts – Band 7: Europäisches Arbeits- und Sozialrecht, Baden-Baden: Nomos, § 20, 2. Auflage, 891-937.
Media and podcasts

Lectures

  • Helene Langbein: Conference on young labor law scholars “Power and powerlessness in labor law”, topic: “Power shift in the co-determination structure through European company law”, Heidelberg, 26.07.2024 - contribution in the conference proceedings expected to appear in the first quarter of 2025
  • Helene Langbein: Conference “Mergers & Acquistions in the field of tension between law and economics”, topic: “Co-determination protection in cross-border demergers - well-intentioned, poorly implemented?”, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, 17.06.2024 - contribution in the conference proceedings expected to appear in Q1 2025

Events

  • Panel “Paths to Worker Participation in the Decision-making of Companies – the opposed Approaches of German and US Labor Law”, at the annual conference of the SFB-294 “Structural Change of Property”, Erfurt. (05.10.2023)
  • Workshop “Path Dependence” with contributions by Jörg Oberthür, Carsten Herrmann-Pillath, Marco Sonnenberger, Helen Gibson and Achim Seifert. (19. - 20.01.2023)

Project Staff