Social
Movements


Less formal, less organized way that citizens can participate in government

An informal collective movement of people who are loosely coordinated in their actions and use flexible tactics

Have some sort of leadership group (though loosely based) to give their actions cohesion


Where there is a strong civil society (see Chapter 1), there are often strong social movements.

Existed as far back as Rome but have burgeoned in past two centuries likely due to:
1.
Opportunity
2.
Mobilization structure
3.
Framing (ie, perception of problem and hope that group can make a difference)

Organization &
Social Movements

Usually very loosely organized but when very organized, similar to interest groups

Disadvantages of loose organization:
1.
Difficult to amass resources politicos used to
2.
Loose organization usually means movements are short lived (have an end)

Organization &
Social Movements

Advantages of loose organization:
1.
Can be very at-the-ready in defining goals and roles
2.
Can shift tactics quickly