Impact of Privatizations on the Democratization of Labor Institutions: A Comparative Perspective on Turkey and Argentina.

Privatizations have often been chastised for their pernicious effects on social development and democratization. The main reasons for the negative reputation of privatizations have been downsizing and increased unemployment in the post-privatizations period and lack of transparency and increased corruption during their implementation. This paper looks at the impact of privatizations on democratization by carrying out a comparative study of the transformation of labor unions in the post-privatizations period in Turkey and Argentina. It concludes that labor unions in these two utterly distinct countries and cultures have changed their structure, internal workings and external relations with other governance actors towards more democratic stands. Based on in-depth interviews with over fifty labor union leaders at different levels of union hierarchy, the study concludes that privatizations can democratize institutions by rendering them more active, more collaborative and more competitive in social, political and economic terms. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]