The Cambridge Handbook of Labor and Democracy

Social scientists and legal scholars from different disciplines and perspectives explore the intersection of labor and democracy.

Angela B. Cornell (Edited by), Mark Barenberg (Edited by)

9781108839884, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 20 January 2022

550 pages
26.1 x 18.5 x 2.8 cm, 0.9 kg

'A dramatic sense of urgency runs through the new Cambridge Handbook of Labor and Democracy … The arguments that run throughout [the book] are contagious and persuasive.' Gary Seidman, ILR Review

We are currently witnessing some of the greatest challenges to democratic regimes since the 1930s, with democratic institutions losing ground in numerous countries throughout the world. At the same time organized labor has been under assault worldwide, with steep declines in union density rates. In this timely handbook, scholars in law, political science, history, and sociology explore the role of organized labor and the working class in the historical construction of democracy. They analyze recent patterns of democratic erosion, examining its relationship to the political weakening of organized labor and, in several cases, the political alliances forged by workers in contexts of nationalist or populist political mobilization. The volume breaks new ground in providing cross-regional perspectives on labor and democracy in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Beyond academia, this volume is essential reading for policymakers and practitioners concerned with the relationship between labor and democracy.

Introduction Angela B. Cornell
Part I. Labor and Democracy: Theory and Practice: 1. A new labor law for deep democracy: from social democracy to democratic socialism Mark Barenberg
2. Labor and democracy: constructing, deepening, and defending citizenship rights Kenneth M. Roberts
3. Labor's obstacles and democracy's demise Angela B. Cornell
4. Right-wing populism, illiberal democracy, trade unions, and workers' rights Keith D. Ewing
Part II. History, Politics, and Law: 5. Sectoral bargaining in the United States: historical roots of a twenty-first century renewal Nelson Lichtenstein
6. The lever and the fulcrum: organizing and bargaining for democracy and the common good Stephen Lerner, Sarita Gupta, Lauren Jacobs, Joseph A. McCartin, and Marilyn Sneiderman
7. 'Industrial democracy' in the United States, past and present Wilma B. Liebman
8. Holding on: the decline of organized labor in the U.S. in historical perspective and the implications for democracy Timothy J. Minchin
9. Unions and the democratic first amendment Charlotte Garden
Part III. Labor, Diversity, and Democracy: 10. Coming apart: how union decline and workplace disintegration imperil democracy Cynthia Estlund
11. Unions can help white workers become more racially tolerant Paul Frymer, Jacob M. Grumbach, and Thomas Ogorzalek
12. Attacking democracy through immigration workplace raids Bill Ong Hing
13. The care crisis: covid-19, labor feminism, and democracy Debora Dinner
Part IV. Country and Regional Perspectives: 14. Labor, workers' rights, and democracy in Latin America Mark Anner
15. African perspectives on labor rights as enhancers of democratic governance Evance Kalula and Chanda Chungu
16. Why workers often oppose democracy David Ost
17. Reclaiming democracy: the challenge facing labor in India Anibel Ferus-Comelo
18. A critical assessment of democratic labor unionism in South Korea from a feminist standpoint Jaok Kwon
Part V. Labor and Democracy Sectoral Case Studies: Platform Workers, Higher Education, and the Care Industry: 19. Pursuing democratic depth in an age of multinational power and soft labor law: the case of platform worker protests Julia López López
20. Corporatization of higher education: a crisis of labor and democracy Risa L. Lieberwitz
21. The fissured welfare state: care work, democracy, and public-private governance Gabriel Winant.

Subject Areas: Industrial relations & trade unions law [LNHR], Employment & labour law [LNH], Human rights & civil liberties law [LNDC], Personnel & human resources management [KJMV2], Comparative politics [JPB], Sociology: work & labour [JHBL]