The authors of this literature review find that empirical research on unions' political activity since World War II has failed to answer many important questions. Not only have researchers neglected some issues outright, but disparate data sources and statistical methods, lack of a guiding theory, inconsistent findings, and hidden normative assumptions about the propriety of unions' political involvement limit the generalizability of reported results. The review nevertheless confirms that union members and leaders often differ in political orientation, though the extent of disagreement varies across political issues. Also, unions apparently have been more successful at achieving political objectives only weakly supported by their members than at achieving the objectives their members strongly support.
Issued quarterly since October 1947, the Industrial & Labor Relations Review is a leading interdisciplinary journal, broad in scope and international in its coverage of work and employment issues. We also publish reviews of some 20 books per year. We define industrial relations to include a broad range of market, organizational, and institutional processes related to the world of work. Relevant topics include the organization of work, the nature of employment contracts, human resource management, employment relations, conflict management and dispute resolution, labor market dynamics and policies, labor and employment law, and employee attitudes and behaviors at work. Our articles are edited with the aim of making their findings and conclusions intelligible to all readers.
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