Skip to main content

Nonorthodox Economic Approaches to Labor Unions and Union Leadership

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Spirituality
  • 5 Accesses

Synonyms

Gender inequality; Labor Union Leadership; Microeconomics; Trade Unions

Definition

A labor or trade union is defined as an organization that represents the collective interests of workers in negotiations with employers.

Introduction

Ideas concerning the role, function, and nature of labor unions and their leadership can be found in nineteenth century economics literature. Even since this early period, a division between orthodox and nonorthodox approaches toward the study of labor unions can be discerned. The orthodox framework was formed in the late nineteenth century with the gradual establishment of Marginalism, and it consolidated itself with the dominance of early neoclassical economics. Orthodox economic theory did not devote much attention to the economic analysis of unions. On the contrary and during the same period, nonorthodox economists such as Sidney and Beatrice Webb and early institutionalists (e.g., Richard Ely), had paid considerable attention to the study of...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Atherton, W. (1973). Theory of union bargaining goals. Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Booth, A. (1995). The economics of the trade union. Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyer, G., & Smith, R. (2001). The development of the neoclassical tradition in labor economics. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 54(2), 199–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burton, J. (1984). The economic analysis of the trade union as a political institution. In J.-J. Rosa (Ed.), The economics of trade unions: New directions (pp. 123–154). Kluwer-Nijhoff.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dean, M., & Perrett, R. (2020). Overcoming barriers to women’s workplace leadership: Insights from the interaction of formal and informal support mechanisms in trade unions. Industrial Relations Journal, 51, 169–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drakopoulos, S., & Katselidis, I. (2014). The development of trade union theory and mainstream economic methodology. Journal of Economic Issues, 48(4), 1133–1149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drakopoulos, S., & Katselidis, I. (2023). The old institutional school and labour market functions and policies. In S. Drakopoulos & I. Katselidis (Eds.), Economic policy and the history of economic thought (pp. 141–158). Routledge.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dunlop, J. (1944). Wage determination under trade unions. Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fortin-Bergeron, C., Doucet, O., & Hennebert, M. A. (2018). The role of management and trade union leadership on dual commitment: The mediating effect of the workplace relations climate. Human Research Management Journal, 28, 462–478.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gall, G., & Fiorito, J. (2012). Toward a better theory on the relationship between commitment, participation, and leadership in unions. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 33(8), 715–731.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hammer, T., Bayazit, B., & Wazeter, D. (2009). Union leadership and member attitudes: A multilevel analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(2), 392–410.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahn, R. L., & Tannenbaum, A. S. (1957). Union leadership and member participation. Personnel Psychology, 10(3), 286–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, B. E. (2000). The early institutionalists on industrial democracy and union democracy. Journal of Labor Research, 21(2), 189–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, B. E. (2002). Models of union wage determination: What have we learned since Dunlop and Ross? Industrial Relations, 41(1), 110–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirton, G. (2015). The Coalition of Labor Union Women: Still a space of social creativity and a force for social change? Labor Studies Journal, 40(2), 129–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ledwith, S. (2012). Gender politics in trade unions. The representation of women between exclusion and inclusion. Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, 18(2), 185–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ledwith, S., & Munakamwe, J. (2015). Gender, union leadership, and collective bargaining: Brazil and South Africa. The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 26(3), 411–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNulty, P. J. (1980). The origins and development of labor economics: A chapter in the history of social thought. MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Metochi, M. (2002). The influence of leadership and member attitudes in understanding the nature of union participation. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 40(1), 87–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parks, J. M., Gallagher, D. G., & Fullagar, C. (1995). Operationalizing the outcomes of union commitment: The dimensionality of participation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 16(6), 533–555.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pemberton, J. (1988). A managerial model of the trade union. Economic Journal, 98, 755–757.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perlman, M. (1960). Labor movement theories: Past, present, and future. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 13, 338–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, A. (1947). The trade union as a wage-fixing institution. The American Economic Review, 37(4), 566–588.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, A. (1948). Trade union wage policy. University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutherford, M. (2011). The institutionalist movement in American economics, 1918–1947: Science and social control. Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Sadler, J. (2012). The importance of multiple leadership roles in fostering participation. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 33(8), 779–796.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webb, S., & Webb, B. (1897). Industrial democracy. Longmans, Green.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stavros A. Drakopoulos .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2024 Springer Nature Switzerland

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Drakopoulos, S.A. (2024). Nonorthodox Economic Approaches to Labor Unions and Union Leadership. In: Marques, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Spirituality. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-32257-0_30-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-32257-0_30-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-32257-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-32257-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Business and ManagementReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics