Intellectuals in Labor Unions: Organizational Pressures on Professional Roles.

Policy professionals in civil society organizations

“…although the methods of both types of policy professionals are meant to restore the organization's legitimacy toward both the public and members, they also put legitimacy at risk. as described by Wilensky (1956), with reference to internal communication specialists in trade unions, policy professionals adjust their language and educate members, and in this way "help tend the elaborate democratic machinery that gives the interested member a sense of participation and keeps the union leader from hating himself when the imperatives of action and efficiency require departure from the democratic norm" (ibid.:83). Similarly, policy professionals do the "dirty work," diverging from the myth of member centrality at the same time as they lend democratic authority to the organization's elected officials.…”

“…Simultaneously, potential tensions between professionals and members constitute an issue for CSOs, dating back to the emergence of social movements and political parties (e.g., Michels 1999Michels [1911; Weber 1919). The conflict was described in detail by Wilensky (1956) in a classical study of intellectuals in labor unions. More recent academic debates on professionalization in membership organizations also highlight possible tensions between members and staff and between organizations and their environment (e.g., Dodge 2010: Berkhout 2013.…”

“…When first described in research focusing on issue networks in Washington, this group was highlighted as embodying a political legitimacy problem (Heclo 1978:282;Walker 1981). However, except for investigators in trade unions (e.g., Wilensky 1956;Hellberg 1997;Selling & Svallfors 2019;Svallfors 2020), the role of policy professionals specifically in CSOs has been overlooked. This is surprising and unsatisfactory, given their decisive role in the core tasks of policy and advocacy in CSOs.…”