The Working Class in Welfare Capitalism: Work, Unions and Politics in Sweden

Description

First published in 1978, The Working Class in Welfare Capitalism looks at the position of the working class in the Swedish pattern of welfare capitalism and compares it with other capitalist industrial countries. Beginning with an analysis of class, class conflict, power and social change in classical and modern social theory, Professor Korpi discusses the development of the Swedish labour movement and its strategies of class conflict. He focuses on the situation of the worker at the workplace and in the community, on the functioning of the labour union, on industrial conflict, and on the political views and standpoints of the workers. He also examines political developments in Sweden and discusses the prospects for a development towards economic democracy. A challenging and comprehensive study of Swedish social democracy in action, carried out by a Swede within a comparative frame of reference, the book presents an analysis which is of central relevance to all capitalist societies, especially when mass communist parties in Europe appear to be moving towards reformistic socialism. This book will be of interest to students of sociology, social class, economy and history. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Original Title Page Dedication Table of Contents List of Figures List of Tables Preface 1 Grave-Diggers or Angels in Marble? 1 Some Theories on Class and Class Conflict 2 The Role of Property 3 The Marxian and Weberian Approaches to Class Conflict: Some Hypotheses 4 The Plan of the Book 5 Empirical Data 2 Social Conflict and Structural Change 1 Objective and Subjective Factors in Social Conflict 2 Institutionalization of Industrial and Political Conflict? 3 The Role of the State 4 Conflict, Power and Structural Change 5 Collapse, Liberation and Maturation 3 The Swedish Labour Movement and Class Conflict 1 Changing Economic and Political Structures 2 The Labour Market Organizations 3 Market Capacity and Organization 4 Political Mobilization 5 How Unique is Sweden? 4 The Political Ideas and Strategies of the Swedish Labour Movement 1 Social Democratic Ideology and Policy 2 The Challenge from the Left 3 Industrial Conflict 4 Creeping Towards or Away from Socialism? 5 Work and Work Orientations 1 Goal or Only Means? 2 Control and Job Design 3 Inequality in Job Satisfaction 4 Work Characteristics and Job Satisfaction 5 Consequences of Work Experiences 6 Immigrants and Women in the Job Structure 7 Orientations to Work 8 Work Orientations Among the Metal-Workers 9 The Future of Work Orientations 6 Social Relations in Work and Community 1 The Role of Technology 2 The Flow of Talk 3 Workgroup Membership and Cohesiveness 4 The Workers' Collectivity 5 Technology and Social Relationships 6 Off-the-Job Social Relationships 7 The Immigrants 8 The Firm as an Employer 9 Technology, Community and Organizational Potential 7 The Union at the Workplace 1 Union Organization 2 Union Involvement 3 Is Union Solidarity Eroding? 4 Participation in Union Government 5 Membership Influence 6 Internal Conflicts 7 Bargaining Power 8 The Workplace Union 8 Union Government and Membership Influence 1 Government for the People or by the People? 2 Collective Decisions and Union Democracy 3 Factors Affecting Union Power Structure 4 Changing Decision-Making Procedures: Collective Bargaining 5 Centralization in Other Areas 6 The Members' Voice at the Union Congress 7 Union Power Structure Viewed from Below 8 Why Increasing Centralization? 9 For the Members or by the Members? 9 The Internal Union Opposition 1 The Left-Wing Opposition 2 Opposition in the Metal Workers' Union 3 The Big Engineering Strike 4 Opposition Strongholds 5 Opposition and Deprivation 6 Criticism of Union Policy 7 The Union Hierarchy and Unofficial Strikes 8 The Role of the Left-Wing Opposition 10 Working-Class Politics and the Union 1 The Class Basis of Voting 2 The Social Roots of Party Preferences Among Metal-Workers 3 The Political Role of the Work Environment 4 Work Environment and Inter-Generational Political Change 5 Political Interest and Workplace Social Climates 6 Women and Immigrants 7 The Union and the Social Democratic Party 8 Working-Class Politics in Perspective 11 The Labour Movement in Welfare Capitalism 1 Problems Generating Change 2 Changing Class Structure 3 Mobilization Possibilities 4 Power Resources 5 Politics of Necessary Compromise 6 Reorientation of Policy 7 The Growth-Equality Predicament and Wage Earners' Funds 8 The Social Democrat Defeat in 1976 9 Towards Economic Democracy Appendix 1 A: Empirical Data B: Path Analysis C: Multiple-Classification Analysis Appendix 2: Scales, Indices and Questions Appendix 3 Notes Bibliography Name Index Subject Index