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A Labor of Laws: Courts and the Mobilization of French Workers

Author

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  • Philippe Couton

    (University of Ottawapcouton@uottawa.ca)

Abstract

By most measures, French labor is among the weakest in the industrialized world. Yet it has retained a high level of mobilizing and institutional power. This unusual position is partly due to the historical role of labor courts, one of France’s oldest and most influential labor institutions. Based on a range of historical and contemporary evidence, this article shows that the involvement of the state and labor in these courts over the past two centuries has played a crucial role in the evolution of French industrial relations. This process unfolded along three main dimensions: the early establishment of labor courts strongly and durably influenced the mobilization patterns of the emergent labor movement, France’s labor relations model was largely inspired by the judicialism embedded in labor courts, and a combination of more contingent events led to the emergence of a problematic notion of union“representativeness.†These patterns have contributed to shape French labor into its present condition of both weakness and strength.

Suggested Citation

  • Philippe Couton, 2004. "A Labor of Laws: Courts and the Mobilization of French Workers," Politics & Society, , vol. 32(3), pages 327-365, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:polsoc:v:32:y:2004:i:3:p:327-365
    DOI: 10.1177/0032329204267294
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    Cited by:

    1. Chris Howell, 2009. "The Transformation of French Industrial Relations: Labor Representation and the State in a Post-Dirigiste Era," Politics & Society, , vol. 37(2), pages 229-256, June.

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