College Honors Program

Date of Creation

5-16-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Political Science

First Advisor

Maria Guadalupe Moog Rodrigues

Abstract

Since major neoliberal financial reforms occurred during the 1980s and 1990s, labor unions’ membership numbers and political influence have waned. While this is true of labor unions in most countries, these changes are incredibly notable in the United States. Scholars from a multitude of disciplines and with varying critical lenses have attempted to understand this phenomenon, but some arguments seem much more convincing than others. This thesis analyzes the validity of various proposed hypotheses, especially the influence of corporatist traditions, the formal and informal links between labor unions and political parties, and the fundraising sources of political parties, using the case studies of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Argentina. This thesis first analyzes the three previously mentioned variables in all states prior to the implementation of the neoliberal reforms of the 1980s and 1990s, second the process of reform, and finally the presence of the variables after the implementation of reforms. Differences in corporatist traditions, formal and informal links between labor unions and political parties, and the fundraising sources of political parties explain why unions overall have weakened in influence, and especially why labor unions in the United States have weakened more rapidly and dramatically than others.

Comments

Reader: Ellen Perry

Download

Share

COinS