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Ronald Reagan and the Politics of Declining Union Organization

Author

Listed:
  • Henry S. Farber

    (Princeton University)

  • Bruce Western

    (Princeton University)

Abstract

New union members in the United States are typically gained through workplace elections. We find that the annual number of union elections fell by 50 per cent in the early 1980s. A formal model indicates that declining union election activity may be due to an unfavorable political climate which raises the costs of unionization, even though the union win-rate remains unaffected. We relate the timing of declining election activity to the air-traffic controllers' strike of 1981, and the appointment of the Reagan Labor Board in 1983. Empirical analysis shows that the fall in election activity preceded these developments.

Suggested Citation

  • Henry S. Farber & Bruce Western, 2001. "Ronald Reagan and the Politics of Declining Union Organization," Working Papers 839, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
    • Handle: RePEc:pri:indrel:460
    as

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    File URL: https://dataspace.princeton.edu/bitstream/88435/dsp01j098zb111/1/460.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Bénabou, Roland & Battaglini, Marco, 2002. "Political Activism, Trust, and Coordination," CEPR Discussion Papers 3611, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    unions; elections; politics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N60 - Economic History - - Manufacturing and Construction - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • P29 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Other
    • P3 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions

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