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Politics matter: changes in unionisation rates in rich countries, 1960–2010

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  • John Schmitt
  • Alexandra Mitukiewicz

Abstract

Researchers have offered several explanations for the decline in unionization. Many emphasize that “globalization” and the technological advances embodied in the “new economy” have made unions obsolete. However, if the decline in unionization is the inevitable response to the twin forces of globalization and technology, then we would expect unionization rates to follow a similar path in countries subjected to roughly similar levels of globalization and technology. This paper looks union membership and coverage for 21 rich economies, including the United States, and finds over the last five decades a wide range of trends in union membership and collective bargaining. The national political environment, not globalization or technology, is the most important factor driving long-run changes in unionization rates in the United States.
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  • John Schmitt & Alexandra Mitukiewicz, 2012. "Politics matter: changes in unionisation rates in rich countries, 1960–2010," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(3), pages 260-280, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:indrel:v:43:y:2012:i:3:p:260-280
    DOI: j.1468-2338.2012.00675.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Legree, Scott & Schirle, Tammy & Skuterud, Mikal, 2014. "The Effect of Labour Relations Laws on Union Density Rates: Evidence from Canadian Provinces," CLSSRN working papers clsrn_admin-2014-42, Vancouver School of Economics, revised 22 Sep 2014.
    2. J. Ryan Lamare, 2016. "Labor Unions and Political Mobilization: Diminishing Returns of Repetitious Contact," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(2), pages 346-374, April.
    3. Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson, 2013. "Economics versus Politics: Pitfalls of Policy Advice," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 27(2), pages 173-192, Spring.
    4. Schnabel, Claus, 2012. "Union membership and density: Some (not so) stylized facts and challenges," Discussion Papers 81, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Chair of Labour and Regional Economics.
    5. Olga V. Smirnova, 2017. "Flexible institutional arrangements and labour productivity: the case of transit industry in the United States," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(1), pages 72-93, January.
    6. McGinnity, Frances & Russell, Helen & Privalko, Ivan & Enright, Shannen & O'Brien, Doireann, 2021. "Monitoring decent work in Ireland," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number BKMNEXT414, June.
    7. Peter Fairbrother, 2015. "Rethinking trade unionism: Union renewal as transition," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 26(4), pages 561-576, December.
    8. Janice FINE, 2015. "Alternative labour protection movements in the United States: Reshaping industrial relations?," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 154(1), pages 15-26, March.
    9. Töngür, Ünal & Elveren, Adem Yavuz, 2014. "Deunionization and pay inequality in OECD Countries: A panel Granger causality approach," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 417-425.
    10. Meszaros, John, 2018. "Inequality and unionization within the United States," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 326-333.
    11. Jesper Prytz & Tomas Berglund, 2023. "Disruption of the Ghent effect: Disentangling structural and institutional determinants of union membership decline in Sweden, 2005–2010," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(6), pages 471-494, November.
    12. Scott Legree & Tammy Schirle & Mikal Skuterud, 2017. "The Effect of Labor Relations Laws on Unionization Rates within the Labor Force: Evidence from the Canadian Provinces," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(4), pages 605-639, October.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics
    • H - Public Economics
    • J - Labor and Demographic Economics
    • J5 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining
    • J58 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Public Policy
    • J8 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards
    • J88 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Public Policy
    • P - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems
    • P1 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies

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