cite: Ferguson2015
author: Ferguson, J.-P.
year: 2015
title: "The control of managerial discretion: Evidence from unionization’s impact on employment segregation"
publisher: American Journal of Sociology
uri: https://doi.org/10.1086/683357
pubtype: article
discipline: sociology

country: United States
period: 1984-2010
maxlength:
targeting: implicit
group: women workers
data: AFL-CIO, NLRB datasets, amended with Current Population Survey

design: quasi-experimental
method: regression-discontinuity RD test
sample: 50000
unit: individual
representativeness: national
causal: 1 # 0 correlation / 1 causal

theory:
limitations: most of effects may be caused by unsobservables
observation:
  - intervention: collective action (unionization)
    institutional: 0
    structural: 1
    agency: 1
    inequality: gender; ethnicity
    type: 1 # 0 vertical / 1 horizontal
    indicator: 0 # 0 absolute / 1 relative
    measures: employment
    findings: stronger unionization associated with more women and minorities in management, but only marginally significant
    channels: possible self-selection into unionization
    direction: 1 # -1 neg / 0 none / 1 pos
    significance: 1 # 0 nsg / 1 msg / 2 sg

notes:
annotation: |
  A study on the effects of a more unionized workforce in the United States, on the representation of women and minorities in the management of enterprises.
  It finds that while stronger unionization is associated both with more women and more minorities represented in the overall workforce and in management, this effect is only marginally significant.
  Additionally, there are drivers which may be based on unobservables and not a direct effect ---
  it may be a selection effect of more unionized enterprises.
  It uses union elections as its base of analysis, and thus can not exclude self-selection effects of people joining more heavily unionized enterprises rather than unionization increasing representation in its conclusions.