ownership, entrepreneurship, families
In my research, I develop a sociology of entrepreneurship that focuses on entrepreneurial action in its institutional relations
and thus sheds light on a central element of capitalist societies. At its core is the idea that entrepreneurial action is embedded
in social groups and institutions and that these are formed and reproduced through entrepreneurial action. A sociology of entrepreneurship
combines a sociological perspective on self-employed work, on the emergence of organizations and innovation, on the ownership and control of firms,
and on the transformation of capitalist structures. It dispels outdated notions of heroic individual entrepreneurs and critically
points to the social inequalities in capitalist societies. In this respect, a sociology of entrepreneurship makes an
important contribution to understanding our contemporary society.
Class Situations of Firm Owners
This theory project aims to develop a social differentiation of capitalist class situations based on “ownership work”. The starting point are neo-Weberian class schemata, which differentiate different class situations on the basis of employment relations. While this differentiation works very well for employees, it falls …
Verantwortungseigentum
Die rechtliche Debatte um „Verantwortungseigentum“ gibt zu erkennen, dass Unternehmenseigentum einem tiefgreifenden Wandel unterliegt. Dieses Projekt widmet sich den gesellschaftlichen Problemlagen und Krisenphänomenen, die sich in der Forderung nach einer neuen Rechtsform für Unternehmen kristallisieren. Dafür untersuchen wir die Gesetzesvorschläge für die geforderte GmbH mit …
Die Reichen und ihr Wirtschaftswunder
In diesem Pilotprojekt untersuchen wir den sozialen Aufstieg in die Vermögenelite in Deutschland. Ziel ist es, anhand von Aufstiegsgeschichten die Marker ökonomischer und sozialer Mobilität zu kondensieren, um so theoretische Aussagen über typische Verlaufsbahnen in die Vermögenselite und über ihre Grenze treffen zu können. Da …
Plural Meanings of Ownership
At the upper end of the wealth distribution in Germany, very large fortunes are concentrated in the hands of a few individuals and families. These fortunes have grown historically and represent individual and dynamic configurations of ownership, with firm ownership usually playing a prominent role. This …
Exit in German Mittelstand
For the past two decades, we can observe a gradual shift in ownership transfer in German Mittelstand from a strong preference towards family internal succession towards selling the business externally. Adopting the perspective of a sociology of ownership, I view the configuration of transfer to …
Entrepreneurial Group Dynamics
In this sociological research group, we understand entrepreneurship as collective action and draw attention to entrepreneurial groups as key social units involved in this collective action. Such entrepreneurial groups are constituted by a small number of family members, friends or former colleagues that jointly engage …