Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/263660 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 15444
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
While works councils provide a highly developed mechanism to promote workplace democracy, research on their consequences has been dominated by economic aspects. This study brings a new perspective to the understanding of works councils by examining their influence on workers’ political behavior. Political spillover theory suggests that participation in the firm’s decision making has the potential to foster workers’ political participation in civic society. Our study for Germany indeed finds a positive association between the presence of a works council and workers’ interest in politics. This holds in panel data estimations including a large set of controls and accounting for unobserved individual-specific factors. However, separate estimations by gender show a positive association between works councils and political interest only for men, but not for women. Traditional gender roles and disproportionate responsibility for family may make it difficult for women to be politically engaged even when a works council is present.
Subjects: 
works council
works councilor
union member
gender
political interest
JEL: 
J51
J52
J53
J58
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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