The Sequencing of Transnational and National Social Movement Mobilization: The Organizational Mobilization of the Global and U.S. Environmental Movements
Abstract
Johnson, Erik and John D. McCarthy. 2005. “The Sequencing of Transnational and National Social Movement Mobilization: The Organizational Mobilization of the Global and U.S. Environmental Movements.” Pp. 71-94 in Transnational Protest and Global Activism. Donatella Della Porta and Sidney Tarrow (eds.) Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlfield.
Is the mobilization of national and transnational social movements, as reflected in their organizational dynamics, mainly a top down or bottom up process? That is, does the increasing density of populations of transnational social movement organizations (TSMOs) promote subsequent growth in the density of populations of state level social movement organizations (SMOs), or visa versa? We approach the research question by analyzing the co-evolution of the populations of transnational and national environmental SMOs in the U.S. between 1945 and 2000. Our findings indicate that, early in the period under observation, growth in the population density and rate of founding among national environmental SMOs preceded growth among international TSMOs, demonstrating a clear sequence in the rapid emergence of the two movement populations. There is some indication that this process is reversed temporarily in the more recent time period. We discuss the generalizability of these results to other nations, movement populations, and levels of geographical scope. We conclude with a brief discussion of the elements necessary to construct a more rigorous test of the top-down thesis of mobilization.
Abstract
Johnson, Erik and John D. McCarthy. 2005. “The Sequencing of Transnational and National Social Movement Mobilization: The Organizational Mobilization of the Global and U.S. Environmental Movements.” Pp. 71-94 in Transnational Protest and Global Activism. Donatella Della Porta and Sidney Tarrow (eds.) Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlfield.
Is the mobilization of national and transnational social movements, as reflected in their organizational dynamics, mainly a top down or bottom up process? That is, does the increasing density of populations of transnational social movement organizations (TSMOs) promote subsequent growth in the density of populations of state level social movement organizations (SMOs), or visa versa? We approach the research question by analyzing the co-evolution of the populations of transnational and national environmental SMOs in the U.S. between 1945 and 2000. Our findings indicate that, early in the period under observation, growth in the population density and rate of founding among national environmental SMOs preceded growth among international TSMOs, demonstrating a clear sequence in the rapid emergence of the two movement populations. There is some indication that this process is reversed temporarily in the more recent time period. We discuss the generalizability of these results to other nations, movement populations, and levels of geographical scope. We conclude with a brief discussion of the elements necessary to construct a more rigorous test of the top-down thesis of mobilization.
