Corporatism and Organized Interests

Building on my work on free collective bargaining and the role of labor unions in postwar democratic capitalism, I produced, beginning in the 1980s, a series of articles on the theory and practice of modern liberal or neo-corporatism in democratic systems of government, often resulting from my long collaboration with Philippe C. Schmitter. Key concepts included associative democracy, collective action, intermediary organizations, and private interest government. A frequent topic was employers’ and business associations. Over the years, it became clear how the neo-corporatist strand of postwar democracy lost significance during the transition to neoliberalism.