In the Interest of Others: Organizations and Social Activism, by John S. Ahlquist and Margaret Levi. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2013, 300 pp., ISBN: 978 069 115 8570, $19.95, paperback.
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/bjir.12106 |
| Date | 01 December 2014 |
| Author | Charles Umney |
| Published date | 01 December 2014 |
sphere could produce an actionable connection between local and international
unionism.
There are, of course, a few limitations to the volume. Perhaps because of the
diversity of scholarly approaches used, there is at times a lack of conceptual conti-
nuity. For example, the editors place a great deal of emphasis on power in the opening
and concluding chapters, describing trade union ‘power for’ workers, ‘power over’
employers and ‘power to’ strategize (ch. 14). In other chapters, however, authors
describe power in different terms (‘structural power, associational power, normative
power and political power’) (Anner, ch. 2; Lévesque, Murray, Dufour and Hege, ch.
4). This diversity in approaches and insights also leads to a concluding chapter that
has many interesting points to make, but that are somewhat cramped. The volume
could have perhaps benefited from a summary chapter for each section dealing with
the specific issue of scale, space and time more satisfyingly. Overall, however, this
volume provides an excellent overview of the various elements of international trade
unionism for academics and activists, and offers some practical pointers for unionists
seeking to improve the international elements of their work.
MATTHEW LLOYD-CAPE
Central European University
In the Interest of Others: Organizations and Social Activism, by John S.
Ahlquist and Margaret Levi. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ,
2013, 300 pp., ISBN: 978 069 115 8570, $19.95, paperback.
Ahlquist and Levi’s In the Interests of Others starts with a profound question that has
long been of interest to the political left: what makes some groups of people look
beyond their own material interests to act in favour of a wider ‘community of fate’?
This question has obvious relevance to trade unions, and the book offers a rich
discussion of why some unions maintain a narrow, economistic focus, while others
mobilize over a much broader array of issues. As part of their investigation, the
authors are particularly concerned with the connections between these orientations
and unions’ internal ‘governance institutions’, placing particular emphasis on the
ideologies and decisions of union leaders. It offers conclusions that should lead to an
interesting debate on the politics of the labour movement.
In the Interests of Others is rooted in game theory and is concerned primarily with
the ‘micro-foundations of behaviour’ (p. 4) as a means of explaining union activity.
Consequently, the investigation is framed around the ways in which union leaders
(at least, those politically inclined to do so) can persuade members that widening
the scope of campaigning is in their interests. Ahlquist and Levi raise the idea
of ‘contingent consent’, which leaders must earn by making material gains on
behalf of their membership. Once this is achieved, there are important trade-offs
regarding how this contingent consent is capitalized upon. The central distinction
made in the book is between those unions that use it to justify inflated salaries
and all-powerful leaderships, and those that use it to get members to buy into a
broader campaigning agenda, including political mobilizations that may not be
immediately connected to their workplace well-being. For the authors, both of
these are ultimately different ways of ‘paying the cost of having good leadership’
(p. 44).
bs_bs_banner
814 British Journal of Industrial Relations
© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/London School of Economics.
To continue reading
Request your trial