2. Juni 2026, 17:15 Uhr

The Hamburg Political Science Seminar Series (HPS³) features international speakers presenting cutting-edge research in empirical political science and political economy.

We welcome on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 17:15-18:45 CET in AP1 Room 108

John S. Ahlquist (University of California)

Title: Labor Unions are not the ‘Bulwark of Democracy’

Abstract:
In the face of contemporary democratic backsliding, are labor unions the "bulwark of democracy" that some have claimed? We decompose this into two analytically distinct phases: prevention and resistance. Unions' traditional market, associational, and social power has declined to the point where their preventative influence is quite weak. As market and associational power has declined, institutional power is vulnerable, evenwhere union membership remains high. We show that union density and coverage are uncorrelated with antidemocratic party vote shares in recent electionsacross the OECD. Examining 11 episodes of 21st Century democratic backsliding, we find no cases where existing labor unions were key players in resisting democratic erosion. In some instances, major unions were willing to capitulate to or even collaborate with increasingly undemocratic governments. Unions are not currently a reliable bulwark against backsliding, although they can and should be important parts of broader pro-democracy coalitions.

We invite everyone interested to attend the HPS Seminar Series and are looking forward to seeing you.

No prior registration is needed!