Industrial Work and Political

Participation: Beyond "Simple

Spillover"

EDWARD S GREENBERG, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDER

LEON GRUNBERG, UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND

KELLEY DANIEL, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDER

 

We suggest that the "simple political spillover" hypothesis that participation in decision making at work increases the probability of participating in politics outside the workplace ought to be respecified in such a way that it takes into account (1) the possible differential effects on political participation of direct and representational forms of decisional participation at work, (2) the possibility that the pathway between workplace and political participation is mediated by the former’s impact on psychological outlooks, and (3) the possibility that participation in decision making in economically troubled enterpnses may diminish political participation Using a sample of 1,247 workers from producer cooperative, employee stock ownership, conventional union, and conventional non-union wood products mills, we show that this more complex spillover model gives us a better understanding of the linkages between workplace and political expenences.