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Strikes as Sequences of Interaction

The American Strike Wave of 1886

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 January 2016

Michael Biggs
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Theories of strikes—or any kind of conflict—are theories of interaction. Marxists envisage class conflict as a dialectical struggle between proletariat and bourgeoisie. Neoclassical economists imagine strikes as an unintended consequence of bargaining between rational actors.The tumult of class conflict is far removed from the quiet of rational bargaining, yet these theories are alike in this respect: strikes ensue from dyadic interaction. Adding political authorities to the dyad of workers and employers extends interaction to three sets of actors.

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Social Science History , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , Fall 2002, pp. 583 - 617
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Copyright © Social Science History Association 2002 

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