Social Movements

Why do social movement targets give into their demands?

- For economic actors, movements can interfere with regular business activities, attract negative publicity, or impose financial penalties upon recalcitrant firms - disruption costs are higher than concession costs

Why are third parties important ?

- Movements can enlist the assistance of third parties, including state actors, to impose additional disruption costs upon targets. Example- withdraw investments, support boycotts, reduce funding, or impose fines. -third parties that are unharmed by movement operations but are severely threatened by movement victory are predicted to engage in counter-mobilization to resist the movement and use their leverage to discourage targets from capitulating. -third parties can also give funding to movements

How does counter mobilization influence the prospects for a movement's success?

- Where counter mobilization was weak, lower concession costs enhanced the prospects for victory in social movements

What are public goods ?

- a good whose consumption is accessible for everyone - you CANT exclude people who don't participate in trying to obtain this good

Mobilization structures

- the formal and informal structure that provide an arena for people to collectively gather - they make its easy to mobilize people around a political objective, or a singular issue, -its is meant to sustain collective action -example , church (social media ?) , schools,formal-organization , interest group-formal

What is diffusion?

- the transmission of ideas, techniques, tactics ,strategies of mobilization - its about members learning from each other - this is all meant to overcome the collective action problem -gets people excited because their opinions are being taken into consideration by the group social media- diffusion across countries and borders becomes easy and low cost

What is a social movement ?

- when a group of people are united and committed by their will to accomplish a certain goal that they see as just and possible of obtaining in changing an aspect of governmental policy that will provide benefits to all members in the group

How does political opportunity improve the prospects for the appearance of a social movement?

- when the elite fragment, consensus has broken down, the structure of power has fragmented, when there is constraint on having the power to put down these movements than these movements are more likely to occur and succeed - when a group is willing to accept the repressive actions from the state , the movement is more likely to survive and not easily be dissolved

Mobilization framing

- you have to define your demands as goals that will bring people together, and state how to pursue and accomplish them (99%) -^ all of this is meant to persuade people that they have the power to accomplish their wishes, -mobilizations frames are strategic (can draw from religion )

Why was the protest in Tahrir square successful in attaining its goal, but the one in Tiananmen was not?

-In china, the army refused to participate and inhibited the protests from spreading to other cities , they defended the communist party -the cost of coercion was greater than the benefits of the movement for bystanders Egypt(tahrir square)-the Egyptian military allowed and helped removed president mubarek, this allowed the protests to spread and expand Ultimately, it was the way third party actors responded to the social movements that determined their success

What types of constraints can online movements run into?

-Legal push back -target high profile dissenters, make bloggers reliable for defamation , force internet companies to store data within the state (these legal pressures are more effective when there is broad public support to begin with) -Demonization of new mediums -aims to keep supports away from them -Government officials repeatedly called social media a "force for evil," a "destroyer of families," a "purveyor of child pornography," and a "haven for treason" —^ Were aimed more to solidify government supporters than to target opponents, the government wanted to tell its supporters that the social media medium was dangerous ,untrustworthy -this an effective tool because it didn't completely inhibit people from going to social media but it made the population weary of it -Blocking -increase the threshold of motivation to reach "restricted" information rather than making it impossible Flooding the "space" - send trolls and supporters of the government to social media networks where they make it difficult for people to navigate by disrupting , meaningful and productive conversations regarding important issues

What are bystander publics or third parties?

-Third parties refers to all individuals or organizations not directly targeted for disruption by social movement activists -Bystander publics those members in the population who watching the protests occur but are not participating, they can be potential supporters or foes

Why are bystander public important ?

-for a movement to succeed, it must have a coalition(groups of people united under a goal) behind it which ,enables it to win over bystanders which increases the size of the movements and its likelihood of being successful -but if you piss off bystander's , a counter-mobilization can occur

How can movements solve the coordination problem?

-good leadership that can effectively channel a group's actions in a specific fashion -have a strong, organized, hierarchical structure that effectively allocates responsibilities to the members and punishes them if they break rank -honor those who have sacrificed for the movement , convince their members that their selfish motives will only disgrace those who sacrificed for the movement Pure jointness of construction

What represents political opportunity?

-government provides lack of democratic institutions -willingness of protesters to take on repressive actions from government -when the consensus amongst the elite in society breaks down, a consensus of power breakdown making repressive actions less likely

How effective are they at attaining their goals?

-if a movement has mobilization on the ground that provides a structure (hierarchy, organization) it can use social media to draw in more members and it would be effective in responding to government responses since it has that ground structure - if a movement's mobilization is solely online then the attributes of social media that allow protesters to reach thousands of people and coordinate a mobilization location quickly , will diminish the likelihood of a ground structure being formulated, this means that the movement will be leaderless and have many independent groups which will askew the overall message of the movement and make decision making impossible and this means that when the state responds , the likelihood of the movement overcoming governmental pressure and negotiating a truce is low

How can movements expand the political opportunity?

-if movements can restrain the power of the state to use repressive force, then bystanders are more likely to join the movement because the cost of doing so seems smaller than the benefits entailed -if a movement changes the social conditions of society that increases the resources and confidence of popular groups seeking change (authoritarian to democratic), people who weren't aware of an issue are now aware

Club good

-it's a public good but if it gets to crowded than it runs out , so its only available to the population up to a certain point

How does diffusion take place?

-networks amongst activists in multiple countries transmit ideas, techniques, tactics and mobilization strategies -However , if people have access to info , that doesn't mean they are going to act so.. -organizational capacity is also necessary because you need to organize people to spread certain information -social media can increase diffusion in the sense of spreading ideas rapidly

Are all groups equally likely to mobilize?

-no -rich people are more able to mobilize than poor people because poor people can't afford to take time off from work or endure repressive costs, and use resources to spread ideas,create organizational structures - homogenous groups are more likely to reach consensus because similar ethnicity and economic background = less diverse demands

What is a Private good ?

-only people who have access to the good can enjoy it , the good is specific to a designated group -you can exclude people from using this good

What exactly is getting diffused?

-shared grievances that haven't been framed effectively -frames can be borrowed and learned from past and current protestors /activists -the model of mobilization can also be diffused

Is there a mobilization paradox that social media-based movements confront? What are its two characteristics ?

-social media makes participation easier by eliminating the coordination problem and lower the cost of participation -at the same time , this benefit makes it harder for the movement to obtain its goal because since mobilization is expedited , the movements members have not had time to work with one another in forming a hierarchy, and a ground , organizational structure for the movement and when the government responds, it can quickly dissolve a fragmented movement whose members interaction only occurred online ^ this can be disproven if a organizational, ground structure already exists

What is the difference between a protest and social movement ?

-social movements are not only about participating , they are about ongoing activism (commitment), they usually have organizational structure ,protests can be spontaneous - a protest can be just one individual , while a social movement is a group of people who tied and bounded together by an issue

How is it different from the free-rider problem?

-the coordination problem isn't about getting people to participate , its about getting a group of people to act in the same way and not deviate based on their personal preferences

What are key features of social movements ?

-they can occur when democratic political institutions are not working (people are not being representative ) and the people's' demands are not being heard - a group of people who tied and bounded together by an issue -they display ongoing activism -they display worthiness, unity, numbers and commitment - social movements want a coalition behind them , they want to persuade people -as they become bigger, it's harder to suppress them -the goal has to be obtainable

How can organizers prevent freeriding? And overcome the collective action problem

-they can utilize mobilization structures and recruit individuals who already connected (friendship networks ) because they have bonds of trust and ways of monitoring each other such as church groups then it's easier for the group to hold itself accountable for participation and freeriding is less likely Pure Jointness of construction -divide the movement into smaller groups, give them jobs so you can monitor compliance and moral (if someone doesn't want to go to jail they wont attract everyone else to defect because not everyone is in the same group ) -Organizers can also give people incentives to join and make it easier to participate -Negative incentive = a loss or punishment imposed only on those who do not help provide the collective good ex. taxes, unions (dues) Positive incentive = a benefit or gain from participation in a collective good -selective invectives -give people jobs-give peoples tasks, Example :expressive benefits - when organizers claim the cost of joining a collective action is actually a benefit because struggling is necessary to achieve a great goal -^this motivates people to join public action regardless of the costs or benefit, they are intoxicated by the idea that they are party of collective force which has the potential to bring about great social change - An effective leader of a movement must make their followers focus on the pleasures rather than the pains of the struggle -Leader must frame the struggles as proving that the followers are courageous and have dignity Takeaway- organizers want to convince bystanders this "we are able to transform society and make history through collective action only when there is a worthy opponent that must be subdued" -if the opponent isn't significant , the socially instrumental and expressive values of participation is greatly diminished

How does diffusion manifest itself in the real world?

-through organizational structures -people can spread ideas directly because they are told so -activists in one movement can learn from another movement regarding how to effectively inflict disruptive costs against actors -those same activists can also learn how a certain movement dealt with the state providing either concession or repression tactics

Why does the type of demand (public or private) matter while building a movement?

-when a good is private , than the free-rider problem shouldn't be a concern for the organizers since no participation means no access to that good, so collective action dilemma doesn't apply either , this means that movements for a private good can afford to be leaderless or lack some organizational structure since all members have a specific goal to obtain that good in the most efficient way possible. You can have relatively few people in obtaining that good so organizational structure isn't as important -when a good is public, the opposite occurs, free-riding and the collective action dilemma are huge obstacles that organizers have to conquer by effective leadership, organizational structures to facilitate cohesion amongst differing viewpoints and convince people that the public good is only attainable if everyone works with each other and in the same fashion. You need more people to obtain the good

Political opportunities

-when repressed societies don't have freedom of speech , social movements occur, demonstrating to the state that "channels of making demands" is not working in the eyes of the general public (the people are organizing to gain democratic institutions ) -when the state/power holders are willing to use violence, coercion, or intimidation against protestors and those protests groups are willing to withstand those repressive actions (bystanders feel sympathetic, also members obtain expressive benefits) -when the elite fragment, consensus has broken down ,the structure of power has fragmented , leading to coercion being less likely

What is the coordination problem?

-when you can't convince everyone to act together in a certain way -how do you make everyone agree on a set of actions

How do resources matter for the process of mobilization?

-yes -if mobilization structures lack resources , they have to disrupt public order - More resources means you can hire or outsources the mobilization/organization/advocacy work (carpooling so people can go to work,civil rights movements) - Poor people don't have the resources to pay other people to do the advocacy work

How does it help solve the collective action problem?

-you can instantly contact thousands of people to join your movement and even if a small % of those people actually show up , you can still get a large crowed based on the huge amount of people you were able to contact -as bystanders see their friends on social media supporting a movement , they are encouraged to do so as well

How does it help solve the coordination problem ?

-you can send information regarding where to meet to thousands of people, and everyone will see the same information , thus , lowering the chance for confusion

What are the three structural prerequisites of a social movement?

1.Political opportunities 2.Mobilization structures 3.Mobilization framing

Examples of mobilization structures that produced movements?

Churches and the civil rights movement -black people love church, friendship

Identify the two mechanisms?

Direct/relational =when you have people transmit certain ideas -similar structural grievances, similar regimes -connections which may be facilitated by outside actors Indirect= you learn by watching and observing -no relation is necessary -even by reading about movements , or watching them , you learn about the movements ideas and principles

What are disruption and concession costs?

Disruptive costs - those losses felt by social actors, stemming directly or indirectly from movement actions. Example protests, demonstrations, picketing, litigating, - they are meant to disrupt the target's ability to obtain political or economic values. - They are important because if they can make their costs high enough against an target than the cost of concession will be lower and that target will more likely act as a facilitator in making the government negotiate with the protestors so the target can be left alone Concession costs- when targets weigh the actual or anticipated losses resulting from giving into movement demands - -accepting movement demands might reduce the profits of certain firms or entire economic sectors. -important because targets insulated from disruption or faced with costly concessions are unlikely to concede, - the high concession costs associated with hostile public opinion almost certainly doom a movement to defeat. For authoritarian regimes - concessions to any groups challenging their monopoly of power is likely to be more costly than repression, thus repression is more likely to dominate protests in authoritarian regimes

What forms do these benefits take?

Expressive is emotional/moral the intoxicated feeling you get through involvement. The unknown is enticing goes against the rudimentary day to day bs of a regular job where you can see the outcome. Motivates people to join public action regardless of the costs or benefits

Expressive and material?

Expressive: moral Material: tangible

Examples of political opportunities that have facilitated the appearance of social movements/ not done so

Have so :US civil rights movement during 1960s, blacks inability to vote or have their demands represented catalyzed the movement Have not :Tienieman square massacre, like the civil rights movement , Chinese people wanted to have democratic institutions that relayed their demands but the concessions costs of permitting these institutions were to high for the communist government so it used repressive force to destroy the protests

Why do movements need to overcome the collective action problem?

In order for a movement to succeed, it must have broad public support and a large activists based, so by overcoming the collective action problem, the protestors are effectively telling bystanders that the goods in question are only attainable if everyone participates in trying to obtain them and such goods are not attainable if the said bystanders just sit back and watch/hope that the protests are successful.

What is Revolution 5 years? How is the current status an Egypt viewed by its population?

It was a 4-day workshop put on my UCSB professors to take a look at Tahrir Square on its 5-year anniversary and analyze the 2011 revolution in Egypt. The euphoria that Egyptians exhibited across public squares after Mubarak resigned has long passed. More than two years later and prior to the removal of Mubarak's elected successor, Egyptians were noticeably pessimistic about what the resignation has gained their country. Now most Egyptians feel the country is worse off then under Mubarak's rule with international corporations leaving Egypt due to instability and shrinking job prospects including tourism.

What was Freedom Summer? What did it lead to?

It was a movement in 1964 Mississippi to register as many black voters as possible in response to Mississippi voter laws that historically did everything in their power to keep blacks from voting. Stuff like ID and literacy requirements kept them from voting The movement led to Freedom schools, Freedom homes, and community centers to help support the black population in Mississippi.1000 or so out of state volunteers (90% white and mostly Jewish) taught 1000s of blacks in those freedom schools (stuff they weren't taught in actual school like constitutional rights) Was met with a lot of violent resistance, some blacks and some white volunteers were murdered and dumped in a river Wasn't that successful of a movement but it set the stage for later civil rights movements

Are the 2 mutually exclusive for a movement organizer?

No, more chances of success for using both

How are internet based and social media-coordinated movements different from the traditional social movements?

On Facebook, you tend to only target your friends therefore you'll produced certain kind of mobilization -unlike traditional movement , social media based movements enter into the most contentious phase, the potential confrontation with authorities, without any prior history of working together or managing pivotal moments under stress. This increases the likelihood of the movement being dissolved -members in traditional movements, have sustained periods of working together which helps increase their organizational capacity to respond to long term objectives , also increased the capacity for decision making since a hierarchy is usually formed after a lengthy time of cooperation -social media backed movements often have independent groups and committees that help spread the message but also askew the message itself since no single authority is managing what each group says

What techniques are used by movements to overcome fear among participants?

Promise of achieving goals through hard work and determination, Expressive and material incentives

How has social media made mobilization easier?

Social media can coordinate a massive, informal, information sharing-networks amongst thousands of citizens. This allows citizens to coordinate protests or place of mobilization without years of preparation because they can just send the mobilization location to the members in the network . This allows the mobilization of social movements to occur more often and quicker . -cost of participation has dropped -cuts across race and religion

What type of emotions motivate participation in a movement?

Sympathy, anger, feelings of belonging (important)

Why do individuals free-ride?

The entire group reaps the same benefits regardless of their contribution This leads to the free-rider problem: people choose not to contribute because they gain the same amount as those that do with lower cost to time, effort and money (happens when a group is trying to obtain a public good)

What was the Ted Talk on Social Movements on? What is the main point?

The paradox of social media both helping and hurting the prospects of a movement's success. A movements status of being easier to mobilize does not directly translate to a movement's ability to achieve their goals. Targets usually don't take the movement as seriously as they would groups of people gathering and protesting outside

Can online connective action produce offline collective action?

Yes and no Yes-You can suddenly contact thousands of more people (even with low yield, if you target many, you can get a bigger crowd) and these members friends by seeing their peers joining the movement online , will be more incline to join as well No -because social media lowers the costs of participation significantly (all you have to is press like or share button ) Slacktivism - the tendency to click on links or like posts rather than taking concrete actions or steps. Occurs and people are more likely to support the movement online rather than actually get out into the street and support it

Do individuals participate in movements for seeking benefits?

Yes, rational actors Types of benefits "Non contingent" benefits Demonstration benefits-your stoked that everyone see's you standing up for something Consumption benefits Psych. or moral benefits Benefits of participation Selective benefits

What is the collective action problem?

the situation in which multiple individuals would all benefit from a certain action, trying to obtain a public good ,but has an associated cost making it implausible that any individual can or will undertake it

Citizenship entails 3 different kinds of rights: civil, political and social

· Civil rights refer to "the rights necessary for individual freedom" o Include freedom of association, expression of faith and religion, freedom to own property, engage in contracts, and seek justice (all backed by the courts) · Political rights refer to the right to take part in government - whether by participating in legislature or local government or by exercising the right to suffrage · Social rights refer to "the whole range from the right to a modicum of economic welfare and security to the right to share to the full in the social heritage and to live the life of a civilized being according to the standards prevailing in the society" o The institutions most connected with it are the educational system and social services o By assuring a standard of living (through welfare programs in housing, education, and health), social rights helps raise up the impoverished and provide them with the opportunity and resources to act equally as citizens in the political realm

Mobilization under authoritarian conditions

■ Demands are framed using the rhetoric of the state. ■ Making appeal to one level of the state to fix a problem at another. ■ Avoiding direct confrontation with the state.

Define citizenship

■ Relationship between the state and individual & between the state and a group and how an identity is fostered by this interaction ■ State extends a bundle of rights to groups and individuals it recognizes as citizens Defined by exclusion - what you miss out on by not being a citizen

Why are citizenship frames powerful?

■ They are recognized universally. ■ They are morally compelling since they demand equal treatment and inclusion.

Reasons for citizenship-based mobilization

■ To Demand more rights. To demand the reduction in the gap between access to a right in principle and in practice. ■ To demand the recognition of a right enjoyed in practice, but not in principle