Ownership is both a foundational category of private law and a legally induced medium of power that plays out at the local, national, and international level. Through ownership, law confers power but also responsibilities and duties. At the level of the organization, this is also explored by studying the governance structures, both as a separate phenomenon as well as in relation to their society-wide effects, e.g. regarding sustainable use of resources, and a fair allocation of capital and power.

At ACT, we aim to better understand the theoretical foundations of ownership, property law, and (corporate) governance, and explore how current national, international, and supranational property law systems and (corporate) ownership and governance structures influence society. We focus on the connections between ownership and governance and look at the interplay between ownership and different governance regimes in various spheres of society, including the corporate world, housing, or the access to essential resources. In this context, we are also interested in emerging and alternative types of property and ownership, as illustrated e.g. by the discussions around commons or non-extractive practices.