Research on the growth of trade union membership has neglecled the comparison of variations in union growth between countries. This paper seeks to identify the political and economic variables affecting union growth in eight OECD countries from 1960 to 1974. The paper concludes that political parties do play a major role in union growth, but among the economic variables tested, only the employment growth rate had a significant effect on union growth.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ashenfelter, O. & Pencavel, J.H. (1969), 'American trade union growth: 1900-1960', Quarterly Journal of Economics83, 435-51.
2.
Bain, G.S. & Elsheikh, F. (1976), Union Growth and The Business Cycle: An Econometric Analysis, Oxford, Basil Blackwell .
3.
— (1976), 'Trade union growth in Canada: a comment', Relations Industrielles31, 482-90.
4.
Bain, G.S. & Price, R. (1980), Profiles of Union Growth: A Comparative Statistical Portrait of Eight Countries, Oxford, Basil Blackwell.
5.
Burkitt, B. & Bowers, D. (1978), 'The determination of the rate of change of unionization in the United Kingdom', Journal of Applied Economics10, 482-90.
6.
Elsheikh, F. & Bain, G.S. (1979), 'The determination of the rate of change of unionization in the UK: a comment and further analysis', Journal of Applied Economics11, 451-63.
7.
— (1980), 'Unionization in Britain, an inter-establishment analysis based on survey data', British Journal of Industrial RelationsXVIII, July, 169-78.
8.
Fiorito, J. (1982), `Models of union growth: a test of the Bain-Elsheikh model for the US', Industrial Relations21, 123-7.
9.
Fiorito, J. & Greer, C.R. (1982), 'Determinants of US unionism: past research and future needs', Industrial Relations21, 1-32.
10.
Freeman, R.B. (1986), 'The effect of the union wage differential on management opposition and union organizing success', American Economic Review76, 92-6.
11.
Hibbs Jr, D.A. (1976), 'On the political economy of long-run trends in strike activity', British Journal of Political Science8, 153-75.
12.
Kennedy, P. (1981), A Guide to Econometrics, Cambridge, Mass, MIT Press.
13.
Kmenta, J. (1971), Elements of Econometrics, New York, MacMillan Publishing Co.
14.
Kochan, Thomas A. (1979), 'How American workers view labor unions', Monthly Labor ReviewCII, April, 23-31.
15.
Kumar, P. & Dow, E. (1986), 'Econometric analysis of union membership growth in Canada, 1935-1985', Relations Industrielles41, 236-53.
16.
Lee, Lung-Fei (1978), 'Unionism and wage rates: a simultaneous equations model with qualitative and limited dependent variables', International Economic ReviewXIX, June, 415-33.
17.
Maki, D. (1982), 'Political parties and trade union growth in Canada ', Relations Industrielles37, 876-85.
18.
McKersie. R. B. & Brown, M. (1962), 'Non-professional hospital workers and a union organizing drive', Quarterly Journal of Economics27, 372-404.
19.
Roomkin, M.J. & Juris, H.A. (1982), 'A critical appraisal of research on unions and collective bargaining', in Thomas A. Kochan et al. (eds), Industrial Relations Research in the 1970s: Review and Appraisal, Madison, Wis., Industrial Relations Research Association, 311-54.
20.
Swidinsky, R. (1974), 'Trade union growth in Canada: 191I-1970', Relations Industrielles29, 435-51.
21.
Von Beyme, K. (1985), Political Parties in Western Democracies, Hants, UK, Gower Publishing Company Ltd.
