%0 Report
        %A Schnabel, Claus
%A Wagner, Joachim
        %T Determinants of Trade Union Membership in Western Germany: Evidence from Micro Data, 1980-2000
        %D 2003
        %8 2003 Jan
        %I Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        %C Bonn
        %7 IZA Discussion Paper
        %N 708
        %U https://www.iza.org/publications/dp708
        %X An empirical analysis of various waves of the ALLBUS social survey shows that union density
fell substantially in West Germany from 1980 to 2000. Such a negative trend can be
observed for men and women and for different groups of the workforce. Repeated crosssectional
analyses suggest that a number of personal, occupational and attitudinal variables
such as sex, occupational status, firm size and political orientation play a role in the
unionization process, although the influence of many variables is not robust over time. While
the results are consistent with cost-benefit considerations on the sides of employees and
unions, individualization theory and social custom theory is not consistently supported by our
estimations.
        %K Germany
%K micro data
%K trade union membership