Technology, Institutions and Labor : Manufacturing Automobiles in Argentina and Turkey

In this book Fulya Apaydin argues that labor responses to dramatic technological change are influenced by the political institutions of the Global South more than any other factor. In addressing vocational education programs - which are highly relevant in understanding how labor unrest is governed in developing settings - she makes two important contributions. Firstly, she offers a new theoretical framework to understand labor mobilization and de-mobilization patterns, rethinking vocational education as a key transmission belt for manufacturing labor consent. Secondly, she provides a systematic comparison of skill formation schemes and their implications on labor mobilization in federal and unitary systems. With a focus on Argentina and Turkey, two case studies are provided in which technology has provoked differing levels of strikes, walkouts and extended protest. Fulya Apaydin is Assistant Professor at Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals, Spain. Her research focuses on comparative political economy and development Preface and Acknowledgments 7 Contents 11 List of Acronyms 12 List of Figures 14 List of Illustrations 15 List of Tables 16 Chapter 1: Introduction: The Politics of Changing Hearts and Minds 17 Where Marx Meets Institutions: An Interdisciplinary Theoretical Framework 19 An Uneasy Business: The Challenge of Transforming Skills in Developing Countries 22 A New Challenge 23 Making Sense of Divergent Worker Responses 27 Bringing Politics Back In 32 The Argument: Organization of Political Power and Worker Response to Industrial Upgrading 35 A Note on Case Selection and Methodology 37 The Road Ahead 40 Bibliography 46 Chapter 2: Automobiles, Skill Formation and Development 54 Capital Accumulation and Three Key Moments of Surplus Labor Extraction 57 Supplier-Producer Networks: Surplus Labor Extraction in Automobile Production 60 Surplus Labor Extraction in Second and First Tier Suppliers 62 Surplus Labor Extraction in the Main Plant 64 Politics of Surplus Labor Extraction: Varieties of Capitalism and the Missing Link 66 Training Workers in Turkey and Argentina: A Variety of Capitalism? 70 Conclusion 72 Bibliography 81 Chapter 3: All Quiet on the Turkish Front: Workers and Skill Formation After Fordism in a Unitary Setting in Bursa 87 Post-Fordist Pressures and the Automobile Sector in Turkey During the 1990s 88 Reaching Beyond the Shopfloor 91 The Great Transformation in Bursa: Post-Fordism at FIAT 93 The Politics of Post-Fordist Transition in Turkey 98 Bursa Governors and Mobilization of Local Networks 101 The Role of Education Bureaucrats 104 After Fordism: Faster Surplus Labor Extraction and Declining Interest in the Union 108 Conclusion 111 Bibliography 121 Chapter 4: A Persistent Refusal: Córdoba’s Contentious Workers in Federal Argentina 122 The Arrival of Post-Fordism in Córdoba 124 Legacies of Political Conflict in a Federal Setting 127 Competition Among Local Unions in a Federal Setting 128 Buenos Aires Versus Córdoba: Early Stages of a Political Strife 130 Three Earthquakes that Shook the Ground: Areas of Conflict Between Córdoba and the Federal Government 134 The Decentralization of Education 134 Deepening of Political Crisis: Deregulation of the Labor Market and Flexibilization 135 The Last Straw that Broke Angeloz’s Back: Privatization 138 The Federal-Provincial Rivalry Under Ramon Mestre 140 Conclusion 147 Bibliography 163 Chapter 5: After Fordism: The Politics of Industrial Conflict Patterns in the Global South 166 Organizing Power and Labor Mobilization in the Developing World 167 Veto-Points Model 170 Multi-Level Government Model 171 Government Fractionalization Model 172 Data and Estimation Strategy 172 Dependent Variable: Industrial Conflict Duration 173 Independent Variable 1: Political Constraint Index (POLCON V) 173 Independent Variable 2: Federalism Dummy 173 Independent Variable 3: Government Fractionalization (Govfrac) 173 Control Variables 174 Estimation Strategy 174 The Findings 176 Veto-Points Model 176 Multi-Level Government Model 178 Government Fractionalization Model 181 Conclusion 184 Appendix 188 Bibliography 190 Chapter 6: Conclusion: Technological Change, Institutions and Labor in Developing Contexts 197 Skill Formation and Labor Response Beyond Automobiles 201 Political Institutions, Informal Labor and the Manufacturing Industry 204 The Trade-Off: Economic Development or Democracy? 206 Conclusion 208 Bibliography 213 Appendix 218 Primary Sources and List of Interviews 218 Newspapers 218 Original Documents 218 Reports 218 Worker Training Questionnaires 219 List of Interviews 220 Index 223 Front Matter ....Pages i-xix Introduction: The Politics of Changing Hearts and Minds (Fulya Apaydin)....Pages 1-37 Automobiles, Skill Formation and Development (Fulya Apaydin)....Pages 39-71 All Quiet on the Turkish Front: Workers and Skill Formation After Fordism in a Unitary Setting in Bursa (Fulya Apaydin)....Pages 73-107 A Persistent Refusal: Córdoba’s Contentious Workers in Federal Argentina (Fulya Apaydin)....Pages 109-152 After Fordism: The Politics of Industrial Conflict Patterns in the Global South (Fulya Apaydin)....Pages 153-183 Conclusion: Technological Change, Institutions and Labor in Developing Contexts (Fulya Apaydin)....Pages 185-205 Back Matter ....Pages 207-221