Towards an economic theory of strikes: Further evidence from Brazilian data

We analyse the history of the labor movement in Brazil since the beginning of its industrialization, with particular emphasis on the legislation governing labor disputes. A data set on strike activity for that country during the period between 1983 and 1993 is first analysed at the descriptive level, and then used to produce results based on statistical methods of frequency and duration analysis. The obtained results of frequency and duration of strikes, including their relationships with some macroeconomic variables, are compared with ones from similar studies using data from the US and Canada. The comparison shows that there seems to be a common pattern of results in these countries. An explanation for the observed features of these patterns is then sought in the context of game-theoretic models of bargaining, and suggestions for future research in the area are given.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio