Social Movements and Social Change

Organization as interdependent decision-making Relax the assumption that actors make decisions without knowing what others are doing Think about the shape of the function that governs the provision of the collective good Helps us understand the relationship between organization and incentives

Production functions and organizations Each function describes a set of organizational strategies designed to get people to ‘sacrifice their rationality’ May focus on ‘values’ or intermediate goals (incentives) Recognize importance of order effects on willingness to contribute

Organization and free riders Organizations help overcome the free-rider problem But it creates inequalities between leaders and followers And tends to make movements more conservative

A broader view of the social change landscape Can characterize activities in terms of costs (time/money) and risks (danger, consequences) Ask what sorts of models explain activities Focus on recruitment and mobilization (who joins, contributes)

Types of Movement Activities RISK COST low high Petitions joining orthodox organizations Riots looting Demonstrations marches on Washington 1960s sit-ins Freedom Summer

Freedom Summer 1964 in Mississippi 1000 white college students Four deaths, many beatings

McAdam’s Model of high risk/high cost activism Commitment to values (from family and other influences) Integration into Activist nets Deepening Ideological commitments Construction of Activist identity Subsequent high risk/ High cost activism Biographical availability Initial low-cost/ low risk activism Contact with activists