The Making of Union Democracy

Stepan‐Norris, Judith

doi:10.2307/2580721

Cited by 16 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…First, there are liberal pluralist approaches. These suggest that the extent of participatory democracy reflects whether or not a union has a democratic constitution (all COSATU unions have to, as a condition of affiliation), voting mechanisms (Stepan‐Norris 1997: 476–77), the degree of membership participation in elections (Morris and Fosh 2000: 96), and/or meetings in general (Seidman 1953: 222). Parks et al.…”

Section: Measuring Participatory Democracy In Unionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Trade Unions and Democracy in South Africa: Union Organizational Challenges and Solidarities in a Time of Transformation

Buhlungu

Brookes²,

Wood

2008

Brit J Industrial Rel

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An open access repository of Middlesex University research http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk Buhlungu, Sakhela and Brookes, Michael and Wood, Geoffrey (2008) Trade unions and democracy in South Africa: union organisational challenges and solidarities in a time of transformation. Copyright and moral rights to this thesis/research project are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. The work is supplied on the understanding that any use for commercial gain is strictly forbidden. A copy may be downloaded for personal, non-commercial, research or study without prior permission and without charge. Any use of the thesis/research project for private study or research must be properly acknowledged with reference to the work's full bibliographic details.This thesis/research project may not be reproduced in any format or medium, or extensive quotations taken from it, or its content changed in any way, without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s).If you believe that any material held in the repository infringes copyright law, please contact the Repository Team at Middlesex University via the following email address:eprints@mdx.ac.ukThe item will be removed from the repository while any claim is being investigated.1 Trade Unions and Democracy in South Africa: Union Organizational Challenges and Solidarities in a Time of TransformationSakhela Buhlungu, Mick Brookes and Geoffrey Wood* AbstractBased on the findings of a nation wide survey of Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) members, this article explores the state of internal democracy within the federation's affiliates, and degree of rank and file support for its alliance with the ruling ANC. It is concluded that, pessimistic accounts of the decay of internal union democracy and the alleged unpopularity of the ANC in particular and the tripartite Alliance in general seem misplaced. However, a panglossian view of continued and consistent union success is similarly unjustified; unions face the challenges of declining employment in the formal sector, and managing complex accommodations with business and government. Yet, the manner in which unions have coped with these challenges reflects a persistent organizational vibrancy which is encouraging for the future.

show abstract

Section: Measuring Participatory Democracy In Unionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…: 61; a similar point is made by Taft 1944: 248). In turn, this may be reflected by whether, how often, and how closely elections are contested (Seidman 1953: 223; Stepan‐Norris 1997: 477–80).…”

Section: Measuring Participatory Democracy In Unionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trade Unions and Democracy in South Africa: Union Organizational Challenges and Solidarities in a Time of Transformation

Buhlungu

Brookes²,

Wood

2008

Brit J Industrial Rel

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Como pudimos ver en estos casos, la mayoría de los estudios llevados a cabo bajo esta perspectiva presenta una visión de la democracia sindical interna de tipo institucionalista (LINDBLOM, 1970;HEMINGWAY, 1978;EDELSTEIN & WARNER, 1979;LIPSET, TROW & COLEMAN, 1989;STEPAN-NORRIS, 1997;HECKSCHER, 2001). En este sentido, su preocupación tiene que ver principalmente con el tipo de sistema electoral, la posibilidad o no de inclusión de distintas listas en los comicios, la libre participación de los afiliados en la elección, y, sobre todo, la alternancia en el gobierno.…”

Section: Iii1 De La Democracia a La Políticaunclassified

Organización y acción en el sindicalismo de base en argentina: un abordaje conceptual

Duhalde

2013

Rev. Sociol. Polit.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

En este artículo presentamos algunas conclusiones a partir de un estudio realizado en Argentina sobre tres juntas internas de delegados sindicales. El principal objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar la importancia de la dimensión organizacional de las instituciones gremiales en el contexto de su acción sindical. Se trata de un estudio comparativo de tres entidades de base de la Asociación Trabajadores del Estado de Argentina, principalmente durante el período 2003-2010, selección realizada tomando en consideración las principales corrientes políticas presentes en este sindicato. En cuanto a las técnicas de recolección de datos, se conformaron grupos de discusión y se llevaron a cabo entrevistas en profundidad a delegados, afiliados y trabajadores en general. A su vez, se recolectó y analizó una vasta y heterogénea documentación sindical, sumada a información periodística relativa al período estudiado. También la observación participante, llevada a cabo en los distintos lugares de trabajo, resultó de gran ayuda a la hora de la interpretación global de los datos obtenidos. El examen de estas entidades de base se realizó tomando en cuenta un punto de vista procesual, que destaca la presencia de diferentes etapas de estas juntas internas. Esta perspectiva procesual nos permite dar cuenta del grado de relevancia explicativa tanto de los factores organizativos como de los factores de poder disponibles en las distintas etapas de estas juntas, sea a partir de su presencia o ausencia, o a partir del carácter particular que asumen en un período determinado. Como conclusión exponemos la relación que hemos encontrado entre el tipo de organización alcanzado por estas entidades de base y los logros obtenidos por las mismas. En este sentido, una mayor articulación política interna favorece una toma de decisiones unívocas y coherentes en lo que respecta a la relación con terceros actores, lo que repercute favorablemente en la puesta en práctica de las estrategias de acción y en la obtención de las metas planteadas. Así, las articulaciones que se tejen entre los distintos sectores que componen las juntas internas, se transforman aquí en un objeto privilegiado de atención, y las configuraciones que se derivan de estas relaciones aparecen luego como elementos explicativos de las acciones sindicales. En Argentina, los estudios clásicos sobre sindicalismo han puesto su mirada mayormente en los denominados "factores de poder" a la hora de explicar las estrategias de acción y los logros o fracasos de las entidades gremiales. En este trabajo, y sin negar la importancia de esos elementos, rescatamos el papel previo de la organización interna de estas instituciones (su articulación política) como base para la definición unitaria de estrategias de acción y la consecución de los objetivos establecidos.

show abstract

“…The resource mobilization perspective addressed conservative transformation (largely in terms of the “shift to organizational maintenance”) as an important potential dynamic in movements, although not inevitable (Zald and Denton 1963; Zald and Ash 1966; Zald and Berger 1978). Accumulating research has specified a variety of conditions that work against conservatism such as the structure of political organization, commitments of leaders, political crises, and group identities (Lipset, Trow, and Coleman 1956; Jenkins 1977; Jenkins and Eckert 1986; Clemens 1993, 1997; Stepan‐Norris and Zeitlin 1995; Cress and Snow 1996; Stepan‐Norris 1997; Ganz 2000; Voss and Sherman 2000; Clemens and Minkoff 2004; Ganz et al. 2004).…”

Section: Political Incorporation Leadership and Strategic Choicementioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Leadership and Strategy in Navigating Political Incorporation: Defining a Niche for Human Relations in Orange County, California, 1971–2000

Downey

2006

The Sociological Quarterly

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Political incorporation represents an important and complex trajectory for social movements. Whether that trajectory leads to favorable substantive outcomes or merely to formalistic representation within the polity depends in part on the strategic decisions made by leaders. We have few frameworks, however, for understanding their role in navigating incorporation. This research presents a “niche definition” framework emphasizing strategic differentiation and articulation across political actors in distinct institutional locations sharing common goals. It focuses attention on leaders’ efforts to identify and exploit unique resources and leverage made available through incorporation. Overall, the framework emphasizes the potential for collective strategy and cooperative interorganizational dynamics, thereby expanding possibilities for favorable outcomes of political incorporation. The framework is illustrated through a case study of the Orange County (California) Human Relations Commission from its creation in 1971 to 2001. I trace the long‐term challenges and consequences of incorporation through leaders’ definition of successive niches.

show abstract

The Making of Union Democracy

Cited by 16 publications

References 0 publications

Trade Unions and Democracy in South Africa: Union Organizational Challenges and Solidarities in a Time of Transformation

Trade Unions and Democracy in South Africa: Union Organizational Challenges and Solidarities in a Time of Transformation

Organización y acción en el sindicalismo de base en argentina: un abordaje conceptual

The Role of Leadership and Strategy in Navigating Political Incorporation: Defining a Niche for Human Relations in Orange County, California, 1971–2000

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About