Mobilization to Achieve Collective Action and Democratic Majority/Plurality Amplification

Abstract

This article extends the exchange between William Graebner, Miriam Lewin, and Ronald Lippitt concerning the politics and ethics of “democratic social engineering” and “action research.” It proposes the hypothesis that mobilization for collective action in a democracy requires majority/plurality power amplification. Areas of social science research are reinterpreted in light of this hypothesis, focusing on the conflict between mobilizing for collective action through majority I plurality amplification and the democratic injunction to protect minority voices. The ambivalence of those engaged in action research, and the roles social scientists take in these efforts, may reflect this conflict.