Degree Name
Master of Arts
Graduate Program
Economics
Advisor
Sylwester, Kevin
Abstract
This paper investigates the electoral success of Javier Milei through a focused study of Argentina’s working class, analyzing the interplay between long-term economic stagnation, declining relative economic freedom, and static labor union policy support. Employing process tracing methodology, and drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data, the paper supports a shift in utility-maximizing political preferences among workers. This shift is evidenced by diminished labor union membership and influence, alongside Milei’s major electoral success. The analysis accounts for potential confounding variables, including global economic trends and informal labor growth, ultimately isolating domestic political-economic dynamics as primary drivers of this transformation.