Tag: Michael Dreiling

The rise of labor activity in the wake of the COVID-19 recession

 Presenter(s): Gabriel Graville – Sociology

Faculty Mentor(s): Michael Dreiling

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Covering Covid

In the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting recession there emerged a period of heightened labor activity. Starting in the Summer of 2021 and continuing through the end of the year multiple industries saw an increase in organized strikes and work stoppages. While heightened collective action in the workplace is well theorized in the recovery periods of a recession there was also an unprecedented rate of resignations throughout the workforce. Through a case study of both the UAW John Deere Strike as well as this wave of resignations dubbed “The Great Resignation” it is evident that there are similarities between the actions of both workers despite collective bargaining institutions having little to no role in “The Great Resignation.” As a result one can argue that “The Great Resignation” is analogous to a more organized collective labor movement despite the individualistic nature of the phenomenon.

Political Mobilization of the Pharmaceutical Industry: Interorganizational Ties, Interlocking Directorates, and Political Activism

Presenter(s): David Capelle

Faculty Mentor(s): Ryan Light & Michael Dreiling

Poster 148

Session: Social Sciences & Humanities

The pharmaceutical industry holds a prominent position in the American political sphere. The degree and persistence of political mobilization among pharmaceutical firms warrants investigation into the conditions which account for patterns in their political behavior. This study aims to assess how pharmaceutical firms’ embeddedness in inter-organizational networks is associated with levels of political activism and political cohesion in the 2015-2016 election cycle. Inter-organizational networks are comprised of firm-to-firm board of director interlocks and membership in prominent policy-planning groups and trade associations. The maintenance of connections with outside companies and organizations represents opportunities for social cohesion and establishment of shared social perspectives among corporate elites, which is thought to precede unified political action among companies. Corporate political activity is measured through PAC donations and lobbying expenditures. By examining relationships between companies’ structural social network ties and political activity within a particularly influential industry, this analysis provides novel insight into the way power is exercised in an intra-industry setting. This analysis demonstrates that the political mobilization of the pharmaceutical industry is structured around positions in inter-firm networks, such that companies which maintain social ties to the broader corporate community through board interlocks and advocacy organizations engage themselves in politics more intensely. The results of this study inform positions regarding the conditions of class-cohesiveness among corporate entities, which possesses significant applications to the study of political science, economics, and sociology.