John Ahlquist and Margaret Levi are the authors of In the Interest of Others: Organizations and Social Activism (Princeton University Press, 2013). Ahlquist is associate professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin; Levi is professor of political science at the University of Washington. Ahlquist and Levi confront the paradox of how certain unions mobilize members to political action. Why would a union member support political acts outside of the scope of contract and wages? They build a theoretical model in order to answer that question. They argue that factors related to union leadership and the founding moments of each organization relate strongly to the success in convincing members to think about a “community of fate”. Unions use information and education to transform member beliefs about the wisdom of collective interest. Using cases from multiple countries, the book contributes to scholarship on labor movements, political mobilization, and studies of interest groups. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

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