Employee share ownership and profit-sharing in the European Union: incidence,company characteristics,and union representation

Abstract

This article examines the incidence of financial participation across the European Union at the end of the 1990s. The main findings are that the incidence of both profit-sharing and share ownership differ considerably across member states and that this correlates broadly with the extent of differences in legislative and fiscal support for them. Other factors, such as domestic ownership, stock market listing, size (in the case of share ownership) and workforce composition, are also important. On the whole clear or strong relationships between union density and financial participation were not identified.

Cet article donne un aperçu général de la participation financière à travers l'Union européenne à la fin des années 90. Il en résulte principalement que l'impact de la participation aux bénéfices et au capital diffère considérablement d'un Etat membre à l'autre et que ce constat correspond largement à l'ampleur des différences relatives aux mesures incitatives sur le plan législatif et fiscal. D'autres facteurs, tels que la possession de capitaux nationaux privée, le cours des marchés, la taille (dans le cas de la prise de participation au capital) et la composition de la main-d'oeuvre, sont également importants. Dans l'ensemble, une corrélation claire et nette entre la densité syndicale et la participation financière n'a pas été identifiée.

In diesem Beitrag wird die Inzidenz finanzieller Beteiligung in der gesamten Europäischen Union am Ende der neunziger Jahre untersucht. Als wesentliche Feststellung geht hervor, dass es bei der Verbreitung von Gewinnbeteiligung wie Kapitalbeteiligung große Unterschiede zwischen den einzelnen Mitgliedstaaten gibt, und dass dies weitgehend damit zusammenhängt, inwieweit die Beteiligung durch gesetzliche und steuerliche Regelungen begünstigt wird. Andere Faktoren wie inländischer Kapitalbesitz, Börsen-notierung, Größe (bei Kapitalbeteiligung) und Zusammensetzung der Belegschaft spielen ebenfalls eine wichtige Rolle. Insgesamt wurden keine klaren oder engen Beziehungen zwischen gewerkschaftlichem Organisationsgrad und finanzieller Beteiligung festgestellt.

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