Doctoral Dissertation Research: Worker Organizations in Newly Expanding Economic Sectors

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The global expansion of investment in international tourism, including by governments in the developing world, has meant that increasing numbers of workers are employed in this sector of the economy. Interestingly, at a time when worker organizations generally are on the decline, this sector has seen an increase. However, preliminary research suggests these new organizations are unlike those of the past. They appear to be focused on broad array of social programs for their membership while simultaneously loosening, or even severing, their ties to formal political parties. The research supported by this award will undertake an ethnographic and archival analysis of this new phenomenon. Findings from this research are important for rethinking the relationship between worker wellbeing and formal worker organizations. Findings will contribute to new theoretical understandings of the contemporary global economy and provide information useful for policy makers and other stakeholders.This research will take place on the coast of Mexico, a tourism dependent region that has witnessed tremendous growth in worker organizations over the past two decades. The researcher will conduct a comparative institutional and archival analysis of two organizations, tracing political, economic, and social factors that produce their structures; relationships between the organizations and other social actors in the region; and their historical development. Data will be collected with a mix of ethnographic methods including participant observation in organizational headquarters and organization sponsored social programs; interviews with workers and leadership; discourse analysis; archival research; and focus groups. Findings from this research will provide insight into the social factors that promote and sustain worker organizations, the social and political effects this has on regions that rely on international tourism, and the significance of such organizations for workers lives.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.