IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/brjirl/v60y2022i3p563-584.html

What makes an active citizen? A test of multiple links between workplace experiences and civic participation

Author

Listed:
  • Daniela Lup

Abstract

Drawing on theoretical insights from the cross‐domain scholarship, this article proposes and tests multiple linkages between employees’ workplace experiences and their participation in different types of civic activities. Using data from the European Working Conditions Survey (2015), it explores both positive spillover effects due to work autonomy, decision participation, complex problem solving and satisfaction with work experiences, as well as negative cross‐domain links due to both desirable work experiences, such as accomplishment, and undesirable experiences, such as discrimination. Furthermore, the data allow for exploring the extent to which these links might vary with the type of civic activity: voluntary/charitable or political/union activities. Overall, by unpacking multiple relationships between the workplace and the civic domain, this article advances scholarship on how work conditions and experiences shape employees’ participation in the civic life, and provides some practical implications for employers, civic organizations and policy makers.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniela Lup, 2022. "What makes an active citizen? A test of multiple links between workplace experiences and civic participation," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 60(3), pages 563-584, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:brjirl:v:60:y:2022:i:3:p:563-584
    DOI: 10.1111/bjir.12669
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjir.12669
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/bjir.12669?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Barbara Pocock & Philippa Williams & Natalie Skinner, 2012. "Conceptualizing Work, Family and Community: A Socio-Ecological Systems Model, Taking Account of Power, Time, Space and Life Stage," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 50(3), pages 391-411, September.
    2. Lisa Schur, 2003. "Employment and the Creation of an Active Citizenry," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 41(4), pages 751-771, December.
    3. Dr Alex Bryson, 2014. "What Accounts for the Union Member Advantage in Voter Turnout? Evidence from the European Union, 2002-2008," National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Discussion Papers 428, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
    4. Emma Hagqvist & Stig Vinberg & Jonathan Q Tritter & Erika Wall & Bodil J Landstad, 2020. "The Same, Only Different: Doing Management in the Intersection between Work and Private Life for Men and Women in Small-scale Enterprises," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 34(2), pages 262-280, April.
    5. Noemi Mantovan & Robert M. Sauer & John Wilson, 2022. "The effect of work‐schedule control on volunteering among early career employees," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 60(3), pages 536-562, September.
    6. Elden, J. Maxwell, 1981. "Political Efficacy at Work: The Connection between More Autonomous Forms of Workplace Organization and a More Participatory Politics," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 75(1), pages 43-58, March.
    7. Daniela Lup & Jonathan E. Booth, 2019. "Work and Volunteering: Longitudinal Relationships between Work‐Related Experiences and Volunteering Behaviour," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 57(3), pages 599-623, September.
    8. Patrice Laroche, 2016. "A Meta-Analysis of the Union–Job Satisfaction Relationship," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 54(4), pages 709-741, December.
    9. John W. Budd & J. Ryan Lamare & Andrew R. Timming, 2018. "Learning about Democracy at Work: Cross-National Evidence on Individual Employee Voice Influencing Political Participation in Civil Society," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 71(4), pages 956-985, August.
    10. Jonathan E. Booth & Daniela Lup & Mark Williams, 2017. "Union Membership and Charitable Giving in the United States," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 70(4), pages 835-864, August.
    11. Nancy Brown Johnson & Paul Jarley, 2004. "Justice and Union Participation: An Extension and Test of Mobilization Theory," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 42(3), pages 543-562, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hövermann, Andreas & Kohlrausch, Bettina & Langer, Arnim & Meuleman, Bart, 2025. "How work shapes democracy: Political preferences, populist attitudes and far-right voting intentions among the European labour force - a cross-country survey project in the face of the 2024 EU elections," WSI Studies 40, The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI), Hans Böckler Foundation.
    2. Uwe Jirjahn & Thi Xuan Thu Le, 2024. "Political spillovers of workplace democracy in Germany," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 95(1), pages 5-31, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Uwe Jirjahn & Thi Xuan Thu Le, 2024. "Political spillovers of workplace democracy in Germany," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 95(1), pages 5-31, March.
    2. Budd, John W. & Lamare, J. Ryan, 2020. "Worker Voice and Political Participation in Civil Society," GLO Discussion Paper Series 725, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    3. Uwe Jirjahn, 2025. "Political Spillovers of Worker Representation: With or Without Workplace Democracy?," Research Papers in Economics 2025-02, University of Trier, Department of Economics.
    4. Johannes Kiess & Andre Schmidt, 2025. "The political spillover of workplace democratization: How democratic efficacy at the workplace contributes to countering right-wing extremist attitudes in Germany," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 46(2), pages 469-495, May.
    5. Sean O’Brady & Virginia Doellgast, 2021. "Collective Voice and Worker Well‐being: Union Influence on Performance Monitoring and Emotional Exhaustion in Call Centers," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(3), pages 307-337, July.
    6. Andrew Timming & Juliette Summers, 2020. "Is workplace democracy associated with wider pro-democracy affect? A structural equation model," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 41(3), pages 709-726, August.
    7. Christian Pfeifer, 2023. "Can worker codetermination stabilize democracies? Works councils and satisfaction with democracy in Germany," Working Paper Series in Economics 420, University of Lüneburg, Institute of Economics.
    8. Uwe Jirjahn, 2026. "Arbeitsmarkt und Demokratie: Politische Folgewirkungen betrieblicher Mitbestimmung," Research Papers in Economics 2026-01, University of Trier, Department of Economics.
    9. Jungook Kim, 2025. "Ownership, participation, and political behaviors: A latent-class analysis approach to democratic spillover," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 46(4), pages 1031-1059, November.
    10. Sinisa Hadziabdic & Lucio Baccaro, 2020. "A Switch or a Process? Disentangling the Effects of Union Membership on Political Attitudes in Switzerland and the UK," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(3), pages 466-499, July.
    11. Roland Zullo, 2008. "Union Membership and Political Inclusion," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 62(1), pages 22-38, October.
    12. Booth, Jonathan & Lup, Daniela, 2025. "Enabling inclusion: an analysis of positive and negative outcomes of discretionary work arrangements for employees with disabilities," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 126269, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    13. Bram Geurkink & Agnes Akkerman & Roderick Sluiter, 2025. "Reinforcing the educational divide at work. How access to workplace political socialisation increases differences in political participation," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 31(4), pages 429-449, November.
    14. Omar Manky, 2017. "From Towns to Hotels: Changes in Mining Accommodation Regimes and Their Effects on Labour Union Strategies," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 55(2), pages 295-320, June.
    15. M. J. Maleka & C. M. Schultz & L. Hoek & L. Paul-Dachapalli & S. C. Ragadu, 2021. "Union Membership as a Moderator in the Relationship Between Living Wage, Job Satisfaction and Employee Engagement," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 64(3), pages 621-640, September.
    16. Jo McBride, 2011. "Can sectionalism be good for solidarity? Some evidence from the maritime construction industry on Tyneside," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 32(2), pages 285-306, May.
    17. Angelo Antoci & Fabio Sabatini & Mauro Sodini, 2009. "Will growth and technology destroy social interaction? The inverted U-shape hypothesis," CIMEO Working Paper Series 57, Centre for Investigation and Modelling of Experimental Observations (CIMEO).
    18. Kolawole Ogundari & Bolarinwa Olufemi Daniel, 2018. "Working Paper 294 - Agricultural Innovations, Production, and Household Welfare in Africa," Working Paper Series 2421, African Development Bank.
    19. repec:wly:econjl:v::y:2017:i:605:p:f236-f265 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Hope Corman & Dhaval Dave & Nancy E. Reichman, 2017. "Effects Of Welfare Reform On Women'S Voting Participation," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 55(3), pages 1430-1451, July.
    21. Uwe Jirjahn & Johannes Kiess, 2024. "Does Employee Representation Foster Workplace Democracy?," Research Papers in Economics 2024-13, University of Trier, Department of Economics.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:brjirl:v:60:y:2022:i:3:p:563-584. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/lsepsuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.