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Works Councils and Workers' Party Preferences in Germany

Author

Listed:
  • Uwe Jirjahn
  • Thi Xuan Thu Le

Abstract

Research on the consequences of works councils has been dominated by economic aspects. Our study provides evidence that works councils have nonfinancial consequences for civic society that go beyond the narrow boundaries of the workplace. Using panel data from a large sample of male workers, the study shows that works councils have an influence on workers' party preferences. The presence of a works council is negatively associated with preferences for extreme right-wing parties and positively associated with preferences for the Social Democratic Party and The Left. These results holds in panel data estimations including a large set of controls and accounting for unobserved individual-specific factors. Our findings fit the notion that workplace democracy increases workers' generalized solidarity and their awareness of social and political issues.

Suggested Citation

  • Uwe Jirjahn & Thi Xuan Thu Le, 2023. "Works Councils and Workers' Party Preferences in Germany," Research Papers in Economics 2023-02, University of Trier, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:trr:wpaper:202302
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. 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.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Workplace democracy; worker participation; political spillover; party identification;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
    • J52 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Dispute Resolution: Strikes, Arbitration, and Mediation
    • J58 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Public Policy

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