Leaders in Social Movements: Evidence from Unions in Myanmar

Laura Boudreau, Rocco Macchiavello, Virginia Minni and Mari Tanaka

American Economic Review, 2025, vol. 115, issue 6, 1975-2000

Abstract: Social movements are catalysts for crucial institutional changes. To succeed, they must coordinate members' views (consensus building) and actions (mobilization). We study union leaders within Myanmar's burgeoning labor movement. Union leaders are positively selected on both ability and personality traits that enable them to influence others, yet they earn lower wages. In group discussions about workers' views on an upcoming national minimum wage negotiation, randomly embedded leaders build consensus around the union's preferred policy. In an experiment that mimics individuals decision-making in a collective action setup, leaders increase mobilization through coordination.

JEL-codes: D91 J38 J51 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1257/aer.20230758

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