이 논문은 우리나라에서 경기변동의 확장과 수축에 따른 자본축적과정의 구체성을 ‘노동의 힘’을 통해서 우회적으로 살펴볼 뿐만 아니라 동시에 우리나라 노동의 특성들이 경기변동 속에서 어떻게 작동하는지 분석하고자 하였다. 이러한 분석은 노동이 자본축적과정 속에 구속되면서 일정한 규칙성을 띤다는 데 바탕한다. ‘노동의 힘’은 경기변동을 따라 증대되기도 하고 약화되기도 하지만 다양한 변용을 낳을 수 있다. 우리나라에서 ‘노동의 힘’의 동학에 대한 분석결과는 경기변동상의 노동시장압력 정도에 따라 순응적(procyclical)으로 반응하고 있는 것으로 보인다. 자본축적과정상의 여러 지표들을 통해서 살펴본 ‘노동의 힘’의 경기순응성은 경쟁적 노동시장적 흐름이 뚜렷했던 1970년대에 강화되다가 1980년대 중후반들어 다소 약화되기도 하지만 1990년대 들어, 특히 IMF외환금융위기를 겪으면서 결정적으로 강화되고 있는 것으로 보인다. 오랫동안 권위주의적 국가하의 강도 높은 노동통제 및 배제 정책에 따른 취약한 노동의 힘이 경기순응성을 강화시킨 것과 관련 있어 보인다.

The present study aims at analyzing what affects the 'power of labor class' has made on the capital accumulation through business cycles in Korea. It also examines the way in which the characteristics of organized labor in Korea have manifested themselves in terms of economic fluctuation. Investigating carefully in a historical perspective the relationship between business cycles and the power of labor class, this study concludes that the vicissitudes of labor in Korea have been subordinated to economic conditions: the power of labor has been associated positively with economic expansion, and negatively with economic contraction. The procyclicality of labor power found through the history of capital accumulation in Korea might be attributed to the pro-capitalist policies conducted by the Korean authoritarian state that has tried to keep labor movements under the control and to exclude labor from discussions on labor-capital issues. This finding is in sharp contrast to the conventional belief that labor is too strong to stimulate investment and capital accumulation in Korea. It also may imply that the current economic problem in this country has little to do with too strong labor.

The present study aims at analyzing what affects the 'power of labor class' has made on the capital accumulation through business cycles in Korea. It also examines the way in which the characteristics of organized labor in Korea have manifested themselves in terms of economic fluctuation. Investigating carefully in a historical perspective the relationship between business cycles and the power of labor class, this study concludes that the vicissitudes of labor in Korea have been subordinated to economic conditions: the power of labor has been associated positively with economic expansion, and negatively with economic contraction. The procyclicality of labor power found through the history of capital accumulation in Korea might be attributed to the pro-capitalist policies conducted by the Korean authoritarian state that has tried to keep labor movements under the control and to exclude labor from discussions on labor-capital issues. This finding is in sharp contrast to the conventional belief that labor is too strong to stimulate investment and capital accumulation in Korea. It also may imply that the current economic problem in this country has little to do with too strong labor.

capital accumulation process, business cycles, labour strength