NONUNION EMPLOYEE REPRESENTATION: THEORY AND THE GERMAN EXPERIENCE WITH MANDATED WORKS COUNCILS. (31st January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: JIRJAHN, Uwe; SMITH, Stephen C.
• Other Names: MARINI MARCO guestEditor.; THIRY BERNARD guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: Annals of public and cooperative economics. Volume 89:Number 1(2018:Mar.)
• Page Start: 201
• Page End: 233
• Publication Date: 2018-01-31
• Subjects: Nonunion representation -- works councils -- organizational failures -- market failures -- society -- J50 -- M50; Cooperative societies -- Periodicals; 336
• DOI: 10.1111/apce.12191
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1370-4788

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Theories of how nonunion employee representation impacts firm performance, affects market equilibria, and generates externalities on labor and society are synthesized. Mandated works councils in Germany provide a particularly strong form of nonunion employee representation. A systematic review of research on the German experience with mandated works councils finds generally positive effects, though these effects depend on a series of moderating factors and some impacts remain ambiguous. Finally, key questions for empirical research on nonunion employee representation, which have previously been little analyzed in the literature, are reviewed.