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Theoretical and empirical links between trade unions and democracy

Author

Listed:
  • Lucio Baccaro

    (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Society, Germany; University of Geneva, Switzerland)

  • Chiara Benassi

    (King’s College London, UK)

  • Guglielmo Meardi

    (Warwick Business School, UK)

Abstract

This special issue wants to honour the memory of Giulio Regeni, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge who was assassinated while he was conducting field research on independent trade unions in Egypt. This introduction and the following articles focus on the theoretical, empirical and methodological questions at the core of Regeni’s research. Unions have traditionally been regarded as crucial for representing the interests of the working class as a whole and for building and sustaining industrial and political democracy; however, there is a debate about the conditions under which unions can be effective, and the role of unions’ internal democracy is particularly controversial. The article discusses the theoretical linkages between trade unions, democratization and union democracy and concludes with a reflection on the new concerns about the risk of conducting field research on these issues raised by Regeni’s death.

Suggested Citation

  • Lucio Baccaro & Chiara Benassi & Guglielmo Meardi, 2019. "Theoretical and empirical links between trade unions and democracy," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 40(1), pages 3-19, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecoind:v:40:y:2019:i:1:p:3-19
    DOI: 10.1177/0143831X18781714
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Holly Smith, 2022. "The ‘indie unions’ and the UK labour movement: Towards a community of practice," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 43(3), pages 1369-1390, August.
    2. Jack Fiorito & Irene Padavic, 2022. "Not so exceptional? Prosocial influences on union support among US workers," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 43(3), pages 1305-1318, August.

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