Friday January 18, 2019
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Dampeer Room
Kelvin Smith Library*
Case Western Reserve UniversityDear Colleagues:Democracy and Capitalism exist in tension with each other because they have different principles of authority. Representative government vests primary authority in the vote, so each individual is in theory equal. Capitalism’s authority is based on capital, money; and so in principle people are not equal because some should have much more money than others.
Since the 1800s, liberal democracies have struggled to resolve that conflict. Various laws about conducting elections have been one response; creation of the welfare state, with its protections for people who do not thrive in the market, has been another. Yet if we focus on politics alone we can miss one of the most important responses. Labor unions developed in order to equalize power in the economy, between employers and employees, as well as providing a basis for power in elections and governments, through labor-oriented political parties.
Unions have become steadily weaker not just in the United States but in many other rich democracies. Many have meanwhile seen rising anger about unequal life chances, using rhetoric often called “populist.” Are these two trends connected and, if so, how? Join us as Professor Howell shares his perspectives from his years of research.
All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies
About Our Guest
Chris Howell is the James Monroe Professor of Politics at Oberlin College. He did his undergraduate work in History at Trinity College, Cambridge University, before pursuing graduate work in the United States. He received an M.A in International Relations and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Yale University. He joined the Politics Department at Oberlin College in 1989.
Chris Howell has published numerous articles on labor politics, comparative political economy and left parties in Western Europe, and three books: Trajectories of Neoliberal Transformation: European Industrial Relations Since the 1970s (with Lucio Bacccaro) with Cambridge University Press, Regulating Labor: The State and Industrial Relations Reform in France and Trade Unions and the State: Constructing Industrial Relations Institutions in Britain, 1890–2000, both with Princeton University Press.
Where We Meet
The Friday Public Affairs Lunch convenes each Friday when classes are in session, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Our programs are open to all and no registration is required. We usually meet in the Dampeer Room of Kelvin Smith Library.
* Kelvin Smith Library requires all entrants to show identification when entering the building, unless they have a university i.d. that they can magnetically scan. We are sorry if that seems like a hassle, but it has been Library policy for a while in response to security concerns. Please do not complain to the library staff at the entrance, who are just doing their jobs.
Parking Possibilities
The most convenient parking is the lot underneath Severance Hall. We regret that it is not free. From that lot there is an elevator up to street level (labeled as for the Thwing Center); it is less than 50 yards from that exit to the library entrance. You can get from the Severance garage to the library without going outside. Near the entry gates – just to the right if you were driving out – there is a door into a corridor. Walk down the corridor and there will be another door. Beyond that door you’ll find the entrance to an elevator which goes up to an entrance right inside the doors to Kelvin Smith Library.
Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:
January 25: The Problem of Philanthropy in an Age of Rising Inequality. With David C. Hammack, Hiram C. Haydn Professor of History Emeritus.
February 1: Midterm Grades for President Trump. With David B. Cohen, Professor of Political Science, University of Akron.
February 8: A Model and Scorecard of the Trump Administration’s Trade Policy. With Juscelino Colares, Schott – Van den Eyden Professor of Business Law and Professor of Political Science.
February 15: China’s Precarious Rise. With Paul Schroeder, Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science.
February 22: The Real Problems With Ohio’s State Tax System. With Tatyana Guzman, Assistant Professor in Public Finance, Cleveland State University Levin College of Urban Affairs.
March 1: A European Perspective on American Politics. With Patrick Chamorel, Senior Resident Scholar, Stanford University Center in Washington, DC.
March 8: Victims, Perpetrators, and the Problem of Domestic Violence. With Laura Voith, Assistant Professor, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.
March 15: No Discussion, Spring Break
March 22: Germany’s New Party Politics? With Andreas Sobisch, Associate Professor of Political Science, John Carroll University.
March 29: What Do We Know About the Health and Safety Effects of Marijuana: Medical, Recreational, or Otherwise? With Theodore Parran Jr. MD, Isabel and Carter Wang Professor and Chair in Medical Education and Associate Director, Rosary Hall at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.
April 5: The Polar Silk Road? With Kathryn C. Lavelle, Ellen and Dixon Long Professor of World Affairs.
April 12: TBA
April 19: Managing in a Trumped-Up Economy. With Mark Sniderman, Executive-in-Residence and Adjunct Professor of Economics, Weatherhead School, and former Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
April 26: TBA |
