%0 Journal Article
%T Power Law Distributions and the Size Distribution of Strikes
%A Michele Campolieti
%J Sociological Methods & Research
%@ 1552-8294
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0049124117729709
%X Using Canadian data from 1976 to 2014, I study the size distribution of strikes with three alternative measures of strike size: the number of workers on strike, strike duration in calendar days, and the number of person calendar days lost to a strike. I use a maximum likelihood framework that provides a way to estimate distributions, evaluate model fit, and also test against alternative distributions. I consider a few theories that can create power law distributions in strike size, such as the joint costs model that posits strike size is inversely proportional to dispute costs. I find that the power law distribution fits the data for the number of lost person calendar days relatively well and is also more appropriate than the lognormal distribution. I also discuss the implications of my findings from a methodological, research, and policy perspective
%K conflict
%K strike size
%K number of union members
%K strike duration
%K lost person days
%K power law distributions
%K theories that generate power laws
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0049124117729709