Organized Labor Movement and Democracy in Latin America

Abstract

This paper re-examines the relationship between organized labor and democracy inLatin America. Several influential scholars have argued that organized labor is consistent champion of democracy and that consequently, strong labor movements make democratic outcomes more likely. We show that evidence fromLatin Americacalls these claims into question and that organized labor has frequently supported non-democratic regimes. We then seek to explain variation in labor support for democracy in post-1945Latin America. Based on a comparative analysis of nine countries inLatin America, we argue that labor movements’ regime orientation hinged on two factors: the nature of their partisan alliances and the perceived regime alternatives.