Collective Action under Globalization: An Institutionalist Perspective

Collective action in the form of industrial conflict has declined dramatically since the high tide in the 1970s in Europe. This article argues that this decline is the result of significant changes in both economic and institutional factors, influencing the calculations of employees and of their organizations deliberating collective action. Institutional factors are especially important for understanding still persisting inter-country variance, and they point to a novel industrial conflict calculus for employees. This calculus seems to entail a more restricted use, but not the withering away of the strike.