The Collective Interests of Large Corporations: Social Movement Protest and the Policy-Planning Network

Abstract

ABSTRACT Is the corporate class fractured or it is able to transcend individual interest in favor of a collective interest? I address this debate through a unique application – how large corporations respond to social movement demands. Through a statistical examination of an original database of protests, I find mechanisms still exist that unify the interests of firms targeted by movements. Specifically, policy-planning groups shape and unify firm strategies over whether to concede to or resist protest demands. In addition, I find the impact of these networks is not limited to narrow industry logics, but transcends the broader business community. Together, these findings suggests that when it comes to shaping their politics in response to social movement challengers, large firms do not respond as atomistic actors but are able to draw on their social networks, fostering a broad collective interest. In asking how the social relations of large firms shape protest outcomes, this paper bridges broad questions in organizational, social movement, and class analysis.