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The Left Orientation of Industrial Relations

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  • Mitchell Langbert

Abstract

I show that the field known as industrial relations (IR) leans overwhelmingly to the political left. I investigate the voter registration and political contributions of IR researchers, showing overwhelming Democratic Party favor. I construct a data set of participants in the IR field, which contains 920 U.S.-based person-roles (deriving from 709 actual persons). Included are the authors of the 539 research articles published in four periodicals 2009–2013: (1) the annual meeting proceedings volume of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA), (2) Industrial and Labor Relations Review, (3) Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, and (4) the Journal of Labor Research. I also include the editors of the periodicals, the officers of LERA, and a sample of LERA’s ordinary members. The data suggests that the ratio of Democratic-to-Republican voter registration among participants in IR is roughly 10 to one. I find a similar ratio when looking at those who have made contributions to Democratic and Republican candidates for office. I also show that Democratic lopsidedness at the three mainstream IR journals becomes more extreme at the higher stations (officers and editors, as opposed to ordinary members and authors). Also, I analyze the content of the 539 articles for union support and regulation support; the mainstream IR journals are overwhelmingly pro-union and pro-regulation.

Suggested Citation

  • Mitchell Langbert, 2016. "The Left Orientation of Industrial Relations," Econ Journal Watch, Econ Journal Watch, vol. 13(1), pages 1-46–74, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:ejw:journl:v:13:y:2016:i:1:p:46-74
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. James T. Bennett, 2004. "Twenty-Five Years Before the Masthead: Confessions of a Journal Editor," Journal of Labor Research, Transaction Publishers, vol. 25(1), pages 83-96, January.
    2. Marko Terviö, 2011. "Divisions within Academia: Evidence from Faculty Hiring and Placement," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 93(3), pages 1053-1062, August.
    3. William A. McEachern, 2006. "AEA Ideology: Campaign Contributions of American Economic Association Members, Committee Members, Officers, Editors, Referees, Authors, and Acknowledgees," Econ Journal Watch, Econ Journal Watch, vol. 3(1), pages 148-179, January.
    4. Arne Mastekaasa, 2013. "Unionization and Certified Sickness Absence: Norwegian Evidence," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 66(1), pages 117-141, January.
    5. Shanto Iyengar & Sean J. Westwood, 2015. "Fear and Loathing Across Party Lines: New Evidence on Group Polarization," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 59(3), pages 690-707, July.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Business schools; employment relations; ideology; sociology of economics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A11 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Role of Economics; Role of Economists
    • A14 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Sociology of Economics
    • J5 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining

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