Markus Scholz on ZDF on Corporate Political Responsibility

What responsibility do companies bear for protecting liberal democracy? Prof. Dr. Markus Scholz was interviewed on this topic on September 1, 2026, in a segment on the ZDF magazine program “heute – in Deutschland.” The occasion was the founding of the new business association “Business for a Cosmopolitan Germany, ” in which some 2,500 companies are committed to cosmopolitanism, democracy, and social cohesion.

In an accompanying commentary, Markus Scholz places the initiative within the broader context of corporate responsibility. Liberal democracy, he argues, is not a “nice-to-have” for companies, but rather a central prerequisite for entrepreneurial freedom, the rule of law, open markets, and sustainable economic success. To put it bluntly: “What good is economic success without freedom?”

In the ZDF report, Markus Scholz emphasizes the importance of companies as places of social interaction. The workplace can bring people from different backgrounds together and also open up spaces for objective, less polarized conversations even when there are political differences of opinion: “The workplace is an opportunity to bring people from different backgrounds together and perhaps also to have somewhat less heated discussions here.”

The segment thus highlights a central research topic of the Chair of Responsible Management: the role of companies as corporate citizens in times of social polarization and populist tendencies. Corporate Democratic Action thus becomes a key issue of management and responsibility.

Watch the ZDF segment:
“Business for a Cosmopolitan Germany” – ZDF heute, September 1, 2026