What is the connection between professional associations and democracy?
The research is clear: democracy is good for labor. Democracies not only provide more robust protections for freedom of association, they pay higher wages. Rollbacks in democracy have led to significant attacks on labor rights in India, Hungary, and elsewhere. Would-be authoritarians undermine the autonomy of outside organizations (such as professional associations) to centralize control over all the major organs of society.
In turn, professional groups – representing lawyers, doctors, and more – historically play critical roles in advancing and protecting democracy. Professional groups, unions, and other civil organizations already embody the skills and infrastructure needed to organize across difference, making them critical players in a pro-democracy ecosystem. Today, professional associations continue to function as key defenders of democracy, underscoring the particularly important relationship between the state of American democracy and labor-oriented civil groups.
What can professional associations do to meet authoritarian threats?
- Bring their formidableorganizing skills, experiences, and networks into the pro-democracy ecosystem.
- During the 2017 protests against Trump administration’s “Muslim ban,” thousands of lawyers descended on airports to provide pro bono legal counsel to immigrants caught by the ban. Conversation and connection between organizers and professional groups helped catalog what resources were needed in the moment and streamlined effective coordinated action over the following weeks.
- Provide crucial resources for frontline activists struggling to advance democracy, from professional know-how to specialized access to political elites.
- In the aftermath of the 2020 election, many individuals across the legal profession in the United States took it upon themselves to advance democratic values by making it tougher for lawyers to use the legal system to overturn elections.
- Engage in organized non-cooperation.
- In Brazil, doctors played a significant role in overthrowing the military dictatorship by organizing widespread work stoppages and connecting their struggles to other unions who were mobilizing across the country. As officials were hesitant to fire large numbers of medical workers, these acts of noncooperation were particularly effective in undermining the state’s power.
- Make the case for democracy.
- In 2022, the American Medical Association (AMA) identified voting as a social determinant of health, leading many doctors to include voter engagement as part of whole-person health care. The AMA is also growing civic engagement by encouraging medical health professionals to discuss how key social determinants of health – like food security and environmental rights – are issues on the ballot.
For a longer list of potential tactics, check out Gene Sharp’s 198 methods of nonviolent action.
Additional Resources:
More detailed examples of how professional associations can contribute to the pro-democracy ecosystem and work in tandem with other “pillars of support” are available here or below:
- Polish Judges Resist Attacks on the Rule of Law
- American Lawyers Use Litigation Against Assaults on Democracy
- Lawyers in Pakistan March Against a Military Dictator
- Brazilian Doctors Strike for Healthcare Reform and Democracy
- “Ask your Doctor if Voting is Right for You!” American Doctors Speak Out on Voting
- Going Pro (Bono): Lawyers Provide Support Against the Muslim Ban
- Tunisian Unions Support the Arab Spring
Read the statement from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) titled “Against Anticipatory Obedience.”
*This article was written by former Director of Applied Research Jonathan Pinckney and Research Assistant Sivahn Sapirstein.