Social Europe. Isabelle Ferreras: Democratise Firms to Save Democracy and the Planet

In this op-ed, Isabelle Ferreras argues that the democratic and ecological crises are deeply intertwined, both rooted in the concentration of power within firms governed by shareholder primacy and insulated from democratic accountability. Democratizing the governance of firms becomes a constitutional and planetary imperative. Drawing on the twin pillars of voice and ownership, she calls for embedding workers as co-governing actors — through board-level representation, co-decision rights including over AI deployment, and expanded access to capital ownership. Political democracy cannot endure alongside economic autocracy, and ecological transition will remain out of reach unless we transform the governance of the firm itself. To read the article in full, click here.