The Relative Importance of Industrial Relations Ideas in Politics: A Quantitative Analysis of Political Party Manifestos across 54 Countries

56 Pages Posted: 5 Jan 2021 Last revised: 30 Apr 2021

See all articles by J. Ryan Lamare

J. Ryan Lamare

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - School of Labor & Employment Relations

John W. Budd

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities - Carlson School of Management

Date Written: April 28, 2021

Abstract

Ideas are important but hard to quantify, making large-scale, quantitative analyses difficult. Political parties are important ideational contributors, and their election-year manifestos provide explicit compilations of their ideas on relevant issues. Using Comparative Manifesto Project data, this paper examines the fraction of manifesto content devoted to pro-worker and anti-union statements to measure the importance of industrial relations ideas. Multivariate analyses across 54 countries, 75 years, and 1,132 parties uniquely uncover predictors of industrial relations ideas, including party characteristics, their responses to other parties, and the wider economic and political conditions at play. Further, pro-worker ideas matter to voters during elections.

Keywords: Industrial Relations Ideas, Political Parties; Comparative Manifesto Project

Suggested Citation

Lamare, J. Ryan and Budd, John W., The Relative Importance of Industrial Relations Ideas in Politics: A Quantitative Analysis of Political Party Manifestos across 54 Countries (April 28, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3701402 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3701402

J. Ryan Lamare

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - School of Labor & Employment Relations ( email )

504 East Armory Avenue
Champaign, IL 61820-6297
United States

John W. Budd (Contact Author)

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities - Carlson School of Management ( email )

321 19th Avenue South
Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies
Minneapolis, MN 55455
United States
612-624-0357 (Phone)
612-624-8360 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.johnwbudd.com

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