Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, we provide a comprehensive investigation of the relationship between workplace co-determination in the form of works councils and income satisfaction. Controlling for a wide range of individual, job-related, and firm-level characteristics in OLS...

A series of studies show that unions and works councils have an influence on workers' political activities and attitudes. However, at issue are the transmission channels through which worker representation impacts workers' political activities and attitudes. This article discusses from a...

A series of studies show that unions and works councils have an influence on workers' political activities and attitudes. However, at issue are the transmission channels through which worker representation impacts workers' political activities and attitudes. This article discusses from a...

A series of studies show that unions and works councils have an influence on workers' political activities and attitudes. However, at issue are the transmission channels through which worker representation impacts workers' political activities and attitudes. This article discusses from a...

Betriebsräte sind nur noch in 7 Prozent der Betriebe anzutreffen. Der Verbreitungsgrad ist im langfristigen Trend deutlich gesunken. Dies ist jedoch nicht mit fehlenden angemessenen Partizipationsmöglichkeiten gleichzusetzen. Vielerorts existieren alternative Formen der Interessenvertretung...

The working paper uses the example of digitalization to showcase how European Works Councils can further develop their participation practices in companies and their various locations. There is both room and need for improvement in organizing decent digital work and in the use of information and...

New technologies drive productivity growth, yet the distribution of gains may be unequal. We study how labor market institutions – specifically shop-floor worker representation – mediate the impact of automation. Combining German individual-level administrative records with plant-level data...

In Deutschland haben immer weniger Unternehmen einen Betriebsrat. In den vergangenen 30 Jahren ist der Anteil der Beschäftigten mit Arbeitnehmervertretung um mehr als zehn Prozentpunkte zurückgegangen. 2024 wurde nur noch jeder Dritte Beschäftigte in der Privatwirtschaft durch einen...

The objective of this study is to support the Commission in the preparation of an Impact Assessment (IA) to explore the issues and possible solutions concerning the Recast Directive 2009/38/EC on European Works Councils (EWCs).

Bislang fehlen empirische Daten zur Existenz von Betriebsräten in Start-up-Unternehmen in Deutschland. Die vorliegende Kurzexpertise adressiert diese Datenlücke und nimmt erstmals eine Bestandsaufnahme zur Verbreitung von Betriebsräten in Start-up-Unternehmen in Deutschland vor. Zu diesem...

Empirical studies find that firms with employee representation have a higher productivity than firms without employee representation. The exact mechanisms for this consistent finding remain unclear, however. A frequent theoretical argument postulates that employee representation provides a...

New technologies drive productivity growth but the distribution of gains might be unequal and is mediated by labor market institutions. We study the role that organized labor plays in shielding incumbent workers from the potential negative consequences of automation. Combining German...

We study the descriptive and substantive representation of workers through worker representatives, focusing on the selection of German works council representatives and their impact on worker outcomes. Becoming a professional representative leads to substantial wage gains for the elected,...

Presenteeism behavior, i.e. working despite illness, is a common phenomenon wordwide and can have severe consequences for employees and firms alike. In this study, we investigate the relation between the use of company performance appraisals and employees' presenteeism behavior. We use...

This paper documents and analyses the demise of works councils in Germany in the period 2007-2022. Using representative panel data, we show that the share of plants with a works council has fallen substantially in the private sector but not in the public sector. Almost two-thirds of workers in...

This chapter reviews research on the linkages between corporate globalization and worker representation. Studies have identified various transmission channels through which the activities of foreign multinational companies (MNCs) affect host-country institutions of union and non-union...

This chapter reviews research on the linkages between corporate globalization and worker representation. Studies have identified various transmission channels through which the activities of foreign multinational companies (MNCs) affect host-country institutions of union and non-union...

This chapter reviews research on the linkages between corporate globalization and worker representation. Studies have identified various transmission channels through which the activities of foreign multinational companies (MNCs) affect host-country institutions of union and non-union...

Using a unique dataset of establishments in Germany surveyed during the Covid-19 pandemic, this study investigates whether personnel adjustments during the crisis differed between establishments with and without a works council. Our regression analyses show that the hiring and dismissal rate as...

From a theoretical viewpoint it is not clear whether or not works councils contribute to workplace democracy. This study is the first to provide systematic evidence that employees in establishments with a works council experience more democracy at work than the ones in establishments without a...

This paper documents and analyses the demise of works councils in Germany in the period 2007-2022. Using representative panel data, we show that the share of plants with a works council has fallen substantially in the private sector but not in the public sector. Almost two-thirds of workers in...

We study the descriptive and substantive representation of workers through worker representatives, focusing on the selection of German works council representatives and their impact on worker outcomes. Becoming a professional representative leads to substantial wage gains for the elected,...

We study the descriptive and substantive representation of workers through worker representatives, focusing on the selection of German works council representatives and their impact on worker outcomes. Becoming a professional representative leads to substantial wage gains for the elected,...

We analyse in what way co-determination affects non-compliance with the German minimum wage, which was introduced in 2015. The Works Constitution Act (WCA), the law regulating co-determination at the plant level, provides works councils with indirect means to ensure compliance with the statutory...

We analyse in what way co-determination affects non-compliance with the German minimum wage, which was introduced in 2015. The Works Constitution Act (WCA), the law regulating co-determination at the plant level, provides works councils with indirect means to ensure compliance with the statutory...

We analyse in what way co-determination affects non-compliance with the German minimum wage, which was introduced in 2015. The Works Constitution Act (WCA), the law regulating co-determination at the plant level, provides works councils with indirect means to ensure compliance with the statutory...

This paper examines how collective bargaining through unions and workplace co-determination through works councils relate to labour market imperfections and how labour market imperfections relate to employer wage premia. Based on representative German plant data for the years 1999-2016, we...

We analyse in what way co-determination affects non-compliance with the German minimum wage, which was introduced in 2015. The Works Constitution Act (WCA), the law regulating co-determination at the plant level, provides works councils with indirect means to ensure compliance with the statutory...