© Institut für soziale Bewegungen

International Conference on the Democratisation of Work on 27 February 2026 – Review

On 27 February, the Centre of Cooperation RUB / IG Metall, in collaboration with the Institute for Social Movements, hosted the international conference “Between Practice and Research: Democratisation of Work in the Realm of Transfer Research” at the House of History of the Ruhr Region in Bochum. At the closing conference of the four-year EuroDem project “Workplace Democracy: a European Ideal? (DFG/ANR)”, perspectives from sociology, labour research and trade union practice were brought together to discuss how working environments can be shaped democratically under conditions of crisis, transformation and digitalisation. During the event, researchers from France, Portugal, Spain, Israel, Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Germany discussed co-determination in the context of the polycrisis, new tensions in the world of work, subjectification, and democratic participation in the context of digitalisation and AI.

Researchers from the Centre of Cooperation RUB/IGM contributed with lectures on transfer research: Fabian Hoose and Alexander Ranft used practical examples to explain the regulation of AI in German SMEs, Manfred Wannöffel analysed the tension between the possibilities and limitations of transfer research, and Sophia Friedel examined the ambivalent discourse on ‘workplace democracy’ in both academic and corporate contexts. The aim was to strengthen the dialogue between academia and practice and to promote transfer research