Release of the Report commissioned by the Spanish Government, Two Promises to Those Who Work: Voice and Ownership

Version française

I am a sociologist and political scientist. My research agenda has developed toward an exploration of firms as –internally- political entities from both a descriptive and normative perspective. At the micro-level, my focus is on understanding the logic of work in the context of the Western service-based economy, for which I am developing a critical ‘political sociology of work’. At the institutional level, I am developing a companion ‘political theory of the firm’ that seeks to grasp firms as political entities, and to explore its implications at both the levels of efficiency and normative, and democratic, accountability. My research into these issues has led me to explore what I call the ‘capitalism/democracy contradiction’; that is, the potential problems that arise when we organize our economy along capitalist lines while nurturing the democratic political ideal of equality for all. I study both normative and efficiency issues raised by this contradiction, combining empirical and sociological research with political theory. As a scholar, I am committed too to helping address the current sustainability, planetary and democratic crisis.

I am a Research Director (Directrice de recherches) at the Belgian National Science Foundation (F.N.R.S., Brussels) and Professor of Sociology at the University of Louvain, where I teach in the Department of Social and Political Sciences, the Institut des sciences du travail, and the Economics School of Louvain. Since 2004, I have been affiliated with the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School, where I am currently Senior Research Associate. I am a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts of Belgium, Class Technology and Society, and a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Jesus College, University of Oxford.

My key publications include Firms as Political Entities: Saving Democracy through Economic Bicameralism (Cambridge University Press, 2017) and Democratize Work. The Case for Reorganizing the Economy (University of Chicago Press, 2022), which has been translated into five languages. 

Alongside my academic work, I regularly advise governments and public institutions on issues related to work, economic democracy, and institutional reform; I am currently contributing to a policy report, Two Promises to Those Who Work: Voice and Ownership, commissioned by Vice President Yolanda Díaz.

You can get into more details by reading my writing and the « Research in Progress » page. The News section gives you a view about the recent talks and interviews I gave.

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.

Laval University (Québec, Canada), June 20, 2024: Honorary degree award ceremony. Cérémonie de remise du Doctorat honoris causa en relations industrielles de l’Université Laval à Isabelle Ferreras. Présentation et réception.

RTBF La première Public Radio, Brussels, Avril 30, 2018

RVH/Journal Le Monde – Blois, France – Octobre 12, 2018 – A qui appartient l’entreprise ?

Point Culture Bruxelles – Octobre 4, 2018 – Gouverner le capitalisme ?