On the way to “good” corporate governance? A critical review of the German debate

Abstract

Corporate governance was widely debated in recent years, in Germany as elsewhere. The question what “good” corporate governance constitutes and how it should be achieved stands in the centre of all those discussions. This paper critically draws on the German case. It tries to identify the key issues as well as recent changes in the character of this debate. It is argued that the reform spirit in Germany stands at the edge and needs some considerable refreshment in the near future.