Laid-off workers,the Chrysler Loan Guarantee and corporatist legitimacy: A thematic analysis

This study explores sources of support and disaffection from corporatist resolutions to economic crises. The article proceeds by: (1) presenting corporatism as an ideal type of legitimate domination; (2) discussing the Chrysler Loan Guarantee Act as an instance of corporatist legitimacy; and (3) analyzing interviews conducted with laid-off Chrysler workers in the aftermath of the loan guarantee. The findings suggest that while there is considerable support for corporatist themes such as economic interdependence and nationalism, there is substantial resistance to demands for sacrifice and cynicism toward hierarchical elites.