Two Promises to Those Who Work: Voice and Ownership

International High-level Expert Committee on Democracy at Work

Report

This Report is organized around the three missions assigned to the International Committee of High-Level Experts on Democracy at Work.

The first mission is to assess the current state of democracy at work in Spain, in light of the historical commitment enshrined in Article 129.2 of the Constitution. This involves, in Part I.A, a study of the Article’s historical development and a contextualization of the Spanish situation within the broader European framework. In Part I.B, it entails articulating a body of knowledge demonstrating that democracy at work can serve as an effective response to the major challenges facing humanity today, including extreme economic inequality, overexploitation of natural resources, and the prioritization of competition over cooperation, etc.

The second mission, addressed in Part II.A, is to chart a trajectory for transitioning the Spanish economy toward workplace democracy. The goal is to define a clear path for enterprises to move toward democratization. In this Report, democracy at work means empowering employees to influence major business decisions within the companies where they work. This empowerment can be achieved through the two avenues outlined in Article 129.2: the avenue of voice, granting workers the right to form representative bodies with decision-making power alongside traditionally shareholder-dominated boards, and the avenue of ownership, providing employees with direct decision rights as cooperativists or shareholders.

The third mission, covered in Part II.B, is to identify concrete public policy instruments, including taxes, subsidies, new financial tools, and legislation on employees’ rights, and to draft normative proposals that can foster productive public debate and connect these initiatives to the EU level. This mission also involves mapping institutional obstacles and developing the mechanisms necessary to support a culture of effective democratic practices in the workplace.

The structure of this Report follows the progression of these three missions. It presents factual evidence and robust economic and political arguments to demonstrate the imperative for public intervention in fostering workplace democratization, particularly in light of prevailing market and social dynamics that limit equitable and sustainable outcomes.

Discover the Report

Watch the official presentation of the Report by Isabelle Ferreras to the Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Diaz, and her response. February 2, 2026 in Madrid.

Committee Mandate

On February 21, 2025, in Madrid, composed of 13 experts from Spain and around the world, the International Committee of High-Level Experts on Democracy at Work was set up by the Spanish Government with a clear mission: to implement Article 129.2 of the Constitution.

The public authorities shall effectively promote the various forms of participation in the firm and shall encourage, through appropriate legislation, cooperative businesses. They shall also establish the means to facilitate workers’ access to ownership of the means of production. (Article 129.2 of the Spanish Constitution)

To fulfill its mission, the Committee needed to identify the tools required to develop a concrete strategy for democratizing the workplace, an effort aimed at strengthening democratic quality, reducing inequality, and equipping societies to meet the challenges of our time.

Consequently, the Committee charted a path toward genuine economic democracy by outlining ways to democratize firms and by gathering the knowledge and instruments necessary not only for Spain but also for other European governments interested in reimagining the future of work.

More information on the mandate of the Committee

Members of the Committee

PRESIDENT: Professor Isabelle Ferreras (FNRS-University of Louvain/Center for Labor and a Just Economy, Harvard University/ Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence, Oxford University)

Professor Jeremias Adams-Prassl
(University of Oxford)

Professor Julie Battilana
(John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University Harvard Business School)

Professor Antonio Baylos
(University of Castilla-La Mancha)

Professor Benjamin Braun 
(London School of Economics)

Professor Dr. Isabel Gemma Fajardo-García
(University of Valencia)

Professor Francisca Maria Ferrando Garcia
(University of Murcia)

Professor Sergio Gonzáalez Begega
(University of Oviedo)

Daniel Innerarity

Professor Daniel Innerarity
(European University Institute/University of the Basque Country)

Doctor Sara Lafuente (European Trade Union Institute/Free University of Brussels)

Erinch Sahan
(Doughnut Economics Action Lab)

Vicente Salas Fumas

Professor emeritus Vicente Salas Fumás
(University of Zaragoza)

Professor Edurne Terradillos
(University of the Basque Country)

Know more about the members of the Committee

Hearings

The International Committee of High-Level Experts on Democracy at Work carried out an extensive hearings process that combined global expertise with national perspectives. Between December 2024 and September 2025, the Committee held fifteen virtual meetings with internationally recognized scholars and practitioners, including leading economists, sociologists, labor-law specialists, cooperative governance experts, and representatives from major research institutions. These sessions provided advanced insights into workplace democracy, labor rights, technological change, and the economic conditions shaping employee participation in firms.
To complement this evidence base, the Committee also conducted three days of in-person hearings at the Spanish Ministry of Labor from June 3 to 5, 2025. During these meetings, it engaged with business associations, trade unions, social-economy organizations, civil-society groups, and prominent labor-market specialists.

Together, these exchanges offered a comprehensive understanding of the legal, economic, and organizational factors influencing workplace democratization and grounded the Committee’s analysis in both international research and the lived realities of Spain’s institutional and productive landscape.

Go to list of hearings

Watch this short documentary, which captures the ambition of the works of the Expert Committee:

Events

June 29, ETUI, Brussels, Belgium

JUNE 29 2026 Board-level employee representation in Belgium: What are the prospects? Co-organised by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) and Minerva Think Tank In Belgium, there is (virtually) no system of board-level employee representation in for-profit companies. Nevertheless, the debate on industrial democracy has experienced a timid resurgence in Belgium, driven by various academic…

June 25, Oxford University

JUNE 25 2026 Reimagining the future of work – towards a right to shape AI In this one-day high-level conference, we explore the right to shape AI as key to the future of work in a democratic society. Hosted by Oxford’s Institute for Ethics in AI and the Bonavero Institute for Human Rights, the conference will…

HYBRID: June 5, World Inequality Lab, Paris

JUNE 5 2026 World Inequality Conference 2026 Isabelle Ferreras will discuss the Report of the Expert Committee on Friday June 5th in a Plenary Session: ‘How Much Should the Wealth Scale be Compressed? Date, time and location: Friday June 5, 11:30-13:00 (CET)Amphithéâtre Daniel Cohen48 boulevard Jourdan, 75014 Paris, France Speakers: Isabelle Ferreras, Jean Drèze, Ingrid…

HYBRID: June 3, Québec, Canada

JUNE 3 2026 CIRA’s 2026 conference 16:30–17:30 (EDT) / 22:30 – 23:30 (CET): Conférence HD Woods & Cérémonie de remise des prix / HD Woods Lecture & Awards Ceremony — LAU-1334 By: Prof. Isabelle Ferreras  To join virtually: Zoom : https://ulaval.zoom.us/j/61554368688?pwd=Re9cYa2zv3vrUaV7K6AxcslfZkL7Ui.1ID : 61554368688  Password : 916160 The 63nd Annual CIRA Conference is taking place from June 2…

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