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From Rights to Claims: The Role of Civil Society in Making Rights Real for Vulnerable Workers
Author(s) -
Gleeson Shan
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
law and society review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.867
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1540-5893
pISSN - 0023-9216
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-5893.2009.00385.x
Subject(s) - workforce , civil society , civil rights , mobilization , immigration , political science , unemployment , public administration , law , sociology , economic growth , economics , politics
This article examines the contextual factors driving legal mobilization of workers in the United States through an analysis of national origin discrimination charges under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act (2000–2005). Consistent with previous studies, this analysis confirms that high unemployment levels and weak labor protections promote legal mobilization. The findings also highlight the positive role that civil society may play in promoting claims‐making. I argue that nongovernmental organizations fill the gap in places where organized labor is weak, and may help support claims‐making particularly in places with a larger vulnerable workforce. The article concludes by offering suggestions for a renewed sociolegal research agenda that examines the role of 501c(3) civil society organizations for the legal mobilization of an increasingly non‐unionized and immigrant workforce.