Insider and outsider support for unions across advanced industrial democracies: Paradoxes of solidarity
Persistent URL
Author(s)
Oliver, Rebecca J.
Morelock, Andrew L.
Date Issued
June 2021
Abstract
Why do workers support trade unions? For insider-outsider analysts, unions display limited concern with representing interests beyond the full-time labour force. However, recent research on union revitalization and inclusionary practices stresses new initiatives towards labour market outsiders. We use multilevel regression models, employing data from the 2005 and 2015 International Social Survey Programme, in order to study how workers perceive the role of unions. We develop a four-quadrant categorization of insiders and outsiders that captures both current labour market status and vulnerability. We find that outsiders, and more specifically all categories of non-insiders, are more likely to agree with the need for strong unions than insiders. These results hold both before and after the Great Recession.
Journal
European Journal of Industrial Relations
Department
Political Science
Citation
Oliver, R. J., & Morelock, A. L. (2021). Insider and outsider support for unions across advanced industrial democracies: Paradoxes of solidarity. European Journal of Industrial Relations, 27(2), 167–183. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959680120911221
Publisher
Sage Publications
Version of Article
Published article
DOI
10.1177/0959680120911221
ISSN
0959-6801
1461-7129
Rights
© The Author(s) 2020. Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions