Journal of Economic Literature
Book Reviews
2026-08-28
Thomas Lemieux of University of British Columbia reviews “The paradox of American unionism: Why Americans like unions more than Canadians do but join much less” by Seymour Martin Lipset, Noah M. Meltz,. The EconLit Abstract of the reviewed work begins “Probes U.S. and Canadian views on a range of subjects related to work, social values, and political institutions to try to understand the apparent paradox that Americans approve of unions more than Canadians do but join them less. Draws on an in-depth survey of over three thousand people, mostly employees, conducted in the two countries. Examines trends in union membership in a number of industrialized countries, highlighting an association between social democratic strength and support for unions. Describes the evolution of trade unions in the United States and Canada from 1901 to 2001. Discusses the social, political, and economic factors that underlie the more robust legislative protection and the much greater strength of unions in Canada than in the United States. Proposes that perceived union power is negatively correlated with union approval and that this relationship explains some of the attitudinal anomalies in the survey data. Measures the extent to which there is a frustrated demand for union membership in the United States. Investigates the contribution of the individual states and provinces to the cross-border unionization gap. Examines the attitudes and behaviors of white-collar workers and professionals toward unions in the United States and Canada. Studies the location and extent… Index.”