Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/35934 
Year of Publication: 
2009
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 4487
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
This paper examines the effect of the German co-determination law of 1976 (MitbestG) on the innovative activity of German firms. Co-determination applies to firms with 2000 employees or more. Data from 1971-1976 and 1981-1990 on 148 firms are used to compare the number of patents granted to co-determined firms before and after the introduction of the law. Several control variables are applied and in particular, in order to avoid a possible bias from specific effects of firm size, we compare the co-determined firms with others before and after 1976. The results do not support the view that co-determination slows down technological progress and reduces innovativeness.
Subjects: 
Co-determination
innovation
patents
JEL: 
J5
L2
O3
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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