The Supreme Court and labor policy: A rational choice perspective
The role that the United States Supreme Court has played in the development of public policy in general, and labor policy in particular, has been the subject of substantial research. Most of this research, however, has been mainly normative, with little attention been paid to the political context in which the Court operates. This dissertation attempts to address this allusive issue. A theoretical model is developed that accounts for the political environment in which the Court operates. This model assumes that the Court is a rational political actor which maximizes its utility by strategically selecting public policy outcomes. Data collected from Supreme Court labor relations opinions was used to empirically test the model. In general, the findings support the notion that the political context matters at the judicial level. An implication of this model is that alternative models are needed in explaining the behavior of the courts and in fully understanding the role that the Court plays in the American system of government.
Law, Economics, Labor, Sociology, Industrial and Labor Relations
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign