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Changes in corporate governance of German corporations: convergence to the Anglo-American model?

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  • Christel Lane

Abstract

This paper examines the many changes which have transformed the German system of corporate governance during the last seven odd years. It concludes that it is in the process of converging towards the Anglo-American system and that this has fundamentally affected the way strategic decisions are made in firms. Large, internationally oriented companies are particularly affected. But the notion of shareholder value and its many behavioural effects are gradually spreading also to other parts of the economy. Consequently, the distinctive logic, which had underpinned the German variety of capitalism during most of the post-war period, is eroding. This transformation is affecting also labour and industrial relations in negative ways. The argument is empirically substantiated with data about recent trends in capital markets, banks and firms. The paper theoretically examines institutional change, focussing on the notions of system logic and institutional complementarity. It examines both external sources of change and internal powerful actors who promote the process of transformation. The notion of hybridisation of the German business system is examined but is rejected in favour of a trend towards convergence. Convergence is not seen as a functional necessity, nor is it viewed as inevitable.

Suggested Citation

  • Christel Lane, 2003. "Changes in corporate governance of German corporations: convergence to the Anglo-American model?," Working Papers wp259, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
  • Handle: RePEc:cbr:cbrwps:wp259
    Note: PRO-2
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    File URL: https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/cbrwp259/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. C Lane & S Quack, 2001. "How Banks Construct and Manage Risk: A Sociological Study of Small Firm Lending in Britain and Germany," Working Papers wp217, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    2. Christel Lane, 1995. "Industry and Society in Europe," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 272.
    3. Deeg, Richard, 2001. "Institutional change and the uses and limits of path dependency: The case of German finance," MPIfG Discussion Paper 01/6, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    4. Streeck, Wolfgang, 2001. "The transformation of corporate organization in Europe: An overview," MPIfG Working Paper 01/8, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    5. Simon Deakin & Richard Hobbs & David Nash & Giles Slinger, 2002. "Implicit contracts, takeovers and corporate governance: in the shadow of the city code," Working Papers wp254, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    6. S. Deakin & R. Hobbs & S. Konzelmann & F. Wilkinson, 2001. "Partnership, Ownership and Control: The Impact of Corporate Governance on Employment Relations," Working Papers wp200, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Marlene Davies & Bernadette Schlitzer, 2008. "The impracticality of an international “one size fits all” corporate governance code of best practice," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 23(6), pages 532-544, June.
    2. Daniel Haberly, 2014. "White Knights from the Gulf: Sovereign Wealth Fund Investment and the Evolution of German Industrial Finance," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 90(3), pages 293-320, July.
    3. John Armour & Simon Deakin & Suzanne J. Konzelmann, 2003. "Shareholder Primacy and the Trajectory of UK Corporate Governance," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 41(3), pages 531-555, September.
    4. Gerum Elmar & Mölls Sascha H., 2013. "Corporate Governance-Systeme und Unternehmensfinanzierung - Empirische Befunde für deutsche Großunternehmen / Corporate Governance-Systems and Corporate Financing – Empirical Evidence for large corpor," ORDO. Jahrbuch für die Ordnung von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft, De Gruyter, vol. 64(1), pages 195-220, January.
    5. Marie-Laure Salles-Djelic & Sigrid Quack, 2008. "Institutions and transnationalization," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-01891988, HAL.
    6. James R. Faulconbridge, 2008. "Managing the Transnational Law Firm: A Relational Analysis of Professional Systems, Embedded Actors, and Time—Space-Sensitive Governance," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 84(2), pages 185-210, April.
    7. Marie-Laure Salles-Djelic & Sigrid Quack, 2008. "Institutions and transnationalization," Post-Print hal-01891988, HAL.
    8. Serafini, Giovanni O. & Szamosi, Leslie T., 2015. "Five star hotels of a Multinational Enterprise in countries of the transitional periphery: A case study in human resources management," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(6), pages 972-983.
    9. Njoya, W., 2010. "Employee Ownership in the European Company: Reflexive Law, Reincorporation and Escaping Codetermination," Working Papers wp416, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    10. Sudi Sudarsanam & Tim Broadhurst, 2012. "Corporate governance convergence in Germany through shareholder activism: Impact of the Deutsche Boerse bid for London Stock Exchange," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 16(2), pages 235-268, May.
    11. Stefan Petranov & Milena Angelova, 2012. "Development and prospects of the corporate management systems in the European union," Economic Thought journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 5, pages 110-122.
    12. Guo, Liang & King, Lawrence & Wang, Kai & Yan, Shuo, 2022. "Can a mighty dragon crush a snake in its old haunt? The impact of QFII on board independence in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    13. Gregory Jackson & Andreas Moerke, 2005. "Continuity and Change in Corporate Governance: comparing Germany and Japan," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(3), pages 351-361, May.
    14. Khlif, Wafa & Clarke, Thomas & Karoui, Lotfi & Seny Kan, Konan A. & Ingley, Coral, 2019. "Governing complexity to challenge neoliberalism? Embedded firms and the prospects of understanding new realities," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 601-610.
    15. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/2ilfdosc5a9umpcja7bbsturuq is not listed on IDEAS
    16. John Armour & Simon Deakin & Suzanne J. Konzelmann, 2003. "Shareholder Primacy and the Trajectory of UK Corporate Governance," Working Papers wp266, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    17. Taner Akan & Tim Solle, 2022. "Do macroeconomic and financial governance matter? Evidence from Germany, 1950–2019," Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination, Springer;Society for Economic Science with Heterogeneous Interacting Agents, vol. 17(4), pages 993-1045, October.
    18. Kees Van Veen & Janine Elbertsen, 2008. "Governance Regimes and Nationality Diversity in Corporate Boards: A Comparative Study of Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(5), pages 386-399, September.
    19. Babic, Milan & Dixon, Adam & Fichtner, Jan, 2021. "Varieties of state capital: What does foreign state-led investment do in a globalized world?," OSF Preprints tm82g, Center for Open Science.
    20. Salim Chahine & Mohamad Zeidan, 2014. "Corporate governance and market performance of parent firms following equity carve-out announcements," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 18(2), pages 471-503, May.
    21. Adegbite, Emmanuel & Amaeshi, Kenneth & Nakajima, Chizu, 2013. "Multiple influences on corporate governance practice in Nigeria: Agents, strategies and implications," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 524-538.
    22. Marie-Laure Djelic & Sigrid Quack, 2008. "Institutions and transnationalization," Sciences Po publications info:hdl:2441/2ilfdosc5a9, Sciences Po.
    23. Whittaker, Julie, 2011. "The evolution of environmentally responsible investment: An Adam Smith perspective," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 33-41.
    24. Christel Lane & Jocelyn Probert, 2003. "Globalisation and Its Impact on Competitiveness: the Case of the British and German Pharmaceutical Industry," Working Papers wp262, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    25. Fichtner, Jan & Heemskerk, Eelke & Petry, Johannes, 2021. "The new gatekeepers of financial claims: States, passive markets, and the growing power of index providers," SocArXiv x45j3, Center for Open Science.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Corporate governance; capital markets; German variety of capitalism; institutional change.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B52 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Historical; Institutional; Evolutionary; Modern Monetary Theory;
    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • J50 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - General
    • P52 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Comparative Economic Systems - - - Comparative Studies of Particular Economies

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