Democracy Works: The Impact of Labor Unions on Democratic Quality in Electoral Democracies
Open Access
- Author:
- Bransfield, Daniel
- Area of Honors:
- Political Science
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Xun Cao, Thesis Supervisor
Giancarlo Visconti, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- labor
democracy
cross-country analysis - Abstract:
- Recent reversals in democratic prosperity worldwide makes understanding what factors contribute to democratic success extremely pertinent. This research seeks to determine the extent to which labor unions can work as determinants of democratic quality within countries. Using country-level data from 31 electoral democracies over the span of 2000-2019, the relationship between union density and democratic quality as measures by four indicators of democratic success is explored. This study found that changes in union density are associated with considerable changes in democratic quality across all four democratic indicators analyzed. This relationship is observed both through a cross-country regression analysis and a comparison of averages within countries. Additionally, a case study of labor unions in the United States explores how country-specific context plays a large role in determining the impact that labor unions can have on democratic quality. This study explores the history of labor unions in the United States, the implications of union density decline in the country, and compares the institutional landscape of the United States to other countries where unions operate. Both the statistical elements of this research and the associated case study suggest that labor unions have the capacity to impact democratic quality within countries. While this research presents an observable link between labor unions and democracy, it’s limitations should embolden further studies that observe this relationship on an individual country basis, considering the way in which unions are restricted or empowered in that country.