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Does Labor Matter? Institutions, Labor Unions and Pension Reform in France and the United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2002

DANIEL BÉLAND
DANIEL BÉLAND
Affiliation:
Sociology, University of Calgary
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Abstract

This article challenges Paul Pierson's account on the (supposedly declining) role of labor unions in the ‘new politics of the welfare state’. More specifically, the text compares labor's influence on the French and the American politics of pension reform since the 1980s. The analysis of recent reforms undertaken in both countries demonstrates the impact of institutions and managerial settings on labor's political strategies. These institutional variables explain the fact that French unions have a much more direct influence on public pension reform than their American counterparts. In France, labor unions have an ideological ‘veto point’ derived from their integration into the management process. Their strong influence on the ‘new politics of the welfare state’ is undeniable: labor still matters.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Public Policy , Volume 21 , Issue 2 , May 2001 , pp. 153 - 172
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press

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