Martin and Brady 2007

Martin, Nathan D., and David Brady. 2007. "Workers of the Less Developed World Unite? A Multilevel Analysis of Unionization in Less Developed Countries". American Sociological Review. 72 (4): 562-584

• Introduction
• Study seeks to understand why unionization varies across LDCs and across different types of workers (563)
• argument: variation in union membership is a function of more than the worker's individual characteristics, but is also constrained by country-level institutions, industrialization, and globalization
• Expectations
• Individual characteristics that will increase unionization probability
• middle-age (not young) (564)
• male
• lower class...though there are more white collar unions in LA
• Country-level characteristics
• ex-communist regime (565)
• result in high unionization AND distinctive relations between unions and nascent democratic institutions
• democracy
• higher unionization rate
• size of state
• more government = more unions
• influence of IMF
• will result in smaller government
• influence of ILO
• Industrialization should increase unionization (566)
• this assumes LDCs industrialize int eh same way that First World industrialized (567)...too simple!
• Globalization
• arguments go both ways...can create transnational linkages in labor movements, but also give capital greater leverage
• measured as amount of trade
• Data and Methods
• regional pattern is discernible: greater unionization in Eastern Europe (post-communist) than any other region (569)
• construct a class schema using earnings level, occupational category, and educational attainment when appropriate (570)
• uses GDP per capita to measure industrialization (572): WOULDN'T THIS BE INFLATED BY FINANCIALIZATION, IF PRESENT?
• but also include % of labor force in industry versus agriculture
• decompose the analysis into post-communist and not, since post-communist has such a strong effect
• Results
• workers in ex-communist countries 2.75 times more likely to be unionized (574)
• democracy is not significant
• government expenditure as % of GDP not significant
• ILO not significant
• IMF is significant in expected way (a person is 50-60% less likely to be unionized)
• most globalization variables not significant (575)
• WHICH MEANS THAT inflation and institutional variation are more important predictors of unionization across LDCs
• in ex-communist countries the unskilled proletariat is WAY more likely to be unionized (578)
• Discussion
• industrialization isn't creating new union members! weird!/DUH! (580)
• but also globalization had no effect...is that a problem with data?