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Industrial Conflict in Advanced Industrial Societies

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  • Hibbs, Douglas A.

Abstract

This study focuses on strike activity during the 1950–1969 period in ten industrial societies, The first section of the paper deals with issues of strike measurement and introduces a three-dimensional characterization of strike activity which forms the basis of the subsequent statistical analyses. The next section examines postwar trends in industrial conflict in order to evaluate the argument that strike activity is “withering away” in advanced industrial societies. Time plots of the aggregate volume of industrial conflict show that there has been no general downward movement in strike activity during the postwar period.The third part of the paper develops a number of theoretically plausible statistical models to explain year-to-year fluctuations in the volume of strikes. The empirical results of this section indicate that (1) there is a pronounced inverse relationship between strike activity and the level of unemployment, which suggests that on the whole strikes are timed to capitalize on the strategic advantages of a tight labor market; (2) industrial conflict responds to movements in real wages rather than money wages, which indicates that labor is not misled by a “money illusion”; (3) Labor and Socialist parties are not able to deter strike activity in the short-run despite their strong electoral incentive to do so; and (4) the volume of strikes does seem to be influenced by the relative size of Communist parties, which suggests that such parties remain important agencies for the mobilization of discontent and the crystallization of labor-capital cleavages.

Suggested Citation

  • Hibbs, Douglas A., 1976. "Industrial Conflict in Advanced Industrial Societies," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 70(4), pages 1033-1058, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:70:y:1976:i:04:p:1033-1058_17
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Enflo, Kerstin & Molinder, Jakob & Karlsson, Tobias, 2018. "The Power Resource Theory Revisited: What Explains the Decline in Industrial Conflicts in Sweden?," CEPR Discussion Papers 13130, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Molinder, Jakob & Karlsson, Tobias & Enflo, Kerstin, 2022. "Social democracy and the decline of strikes," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    3. John T Addison & Paulino Teixeira, 2024. "Strike incidence and outcomes: New evidence from the 2019 ECS," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 30(2), pages 123-149, June.
    4. Harvey S. James Jr., 1996. "Economic Development and Strikes: An Examination of the Haas and Stack Model," Development and Comp Systems 9612001, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Kåre Vernby, 2007. "Strikes are more common in countries with majoritarian electoral systems," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 132(1), pages 65-84, July.
    6. repec:eee:labchp:v:2:y:1986:i:c:p:1091-1137 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Frey, Bruno S & Stutzer, Alois, 2000. "Happiness, Economy and Institutions," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(466), pages 918-938, October.
    8. P. K. Edwards, 1992. "Industrial Conflict: Themes and Issues in Recent Research," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 30(3), pages 361-404, September.
    9. Sven Oskarsson & Torsten Svensson & PerOla Öberg, 2009. "Power, Trust, and Institutional Constraints," Rationality and Society, , vol. 21(2), pages 171-195, May.
    10. Chris Goodrich, 1981. "Legislative profits and the rate of change of money wages: A comment," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 585-588, January.
    11. Borrel, Monique, 1992. "The Impact of Labor Disputes on the Fabric of French Society From 1950 to the Mid-80's0," Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, Working Paper Series qt3mq3b9wt, Institute of Industrial Relations, UC Berkeley.
    12. Giedo Jansen & Alex Lehr, 2022. "On the outside looking in? A micro-level analysis of insiders’ and outsiders’ trade union membership," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 43(1), pages 221-251, February.
    13. John Addison & John Burton, 1984. "The sociopolitical analysis of inflation," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 120(1), pages 90-120, March.

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