Authoritarian innovations: a fresh perspective on the state's role in labour governance

How do we understand the efforts of governments across the political spectrum to undermine trade unions in ways that do not involve overt repression? This article introduces a special issue that examines this question through the lens of authoritarian innovations, a political science concept that dr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of industrial relations 2024-09, Vol.66 (4), p.507-518
Main Authors: Ford, Michele, Gillan, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Authoritarianism
Governance
Innovations
Labor relations
Labor unions
Participation
Political participation
Political science
Public policy
Workplaces
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Summary:How do we understand the efforts of governments across the political spectrum to undermine trade unions in ways that do not involve overt repression? This article introduces a special issue that examines this question through the lens of authoritarian innovations, a political science concept that draws analytical attention to practices that purport to embody democratic principles but actually undermine democratic participation. As applied to the labour and industrial relations field, the concept of authoritarian innovations refers to new governance practices that appear to advance labour rights but, in fact, weaken or subvert workers’ genuine, democratic and collective participation in the workplace, in labour institutions, and in the broader polity. As this article argues, this concept allows us to move beyond broad-brush assessments of the labour governance practices associated with different kinds of political regimes to a recognition that democratic and authoritarian states alike may act in ways that appear democratic but are, in reality, quite the opposite.
ISSN:0022-1856
1472-9296
DOI:10.1177/00221856241278595