Participation In Collective Action Research Articles

After the Crisis: Explaining stories of professional identity growth from collective action

Emergent forms of collaboration are central to societies’ response to crises like natural disaster, refugee migration and pandemics. Even though individuals’ participation in such collective action may be short-lived, recent studies propose it can inspire enduring professional role change as people return to their everyday work post-crisis. Yet, previous research does not focus on the divergent stories participants tell about the crisis years afterward and what it meant for them professionally. Through a grounded study of healthcare workers involved in the 2003 Toronto SARS outbreak, we examine varied narratives of professional identity growth following collective action in crisis. Years after SARS, participants told diverse stories about the crisis as an event that suspended, affirmed or even expanded their professional identities. Participants with narratives of identity suspension saw SARS as an event lacking professional relevance. Narratives of identity affirmation and expansion, however, emphasized growth and inspiration for participants’ professional roles post-crisis. We theorize how interactions within collective responses can foster growth narratives, when they enhance meanings central to participants’ professional identities and by affording follow-on interactions that translate these meanings into role change. We contribute new insight on how collective action in crisis can lead to professional role change post-crisis, how fragmented perspectives affect capacity for collective action in intermittent crises, and the role of follow-on interactions in professionals’ narrative identity work.

The role of norms as promoters of social change

AbstractLife in society revolves around social norms. These norms play a crucial role in regulating and influencing individuals’ behavior, both at the societal and individual levels. They offer a psychological framework that reduces uncertainty, guides behavior, and aids people in adapting to their social surroundings. Moreover, by observing prevailing social norms, individuals gain insights into societal trends that preserve cherished values and traditions across generations, thus mapping the dynamics of social stability and change. Social change is closely tied to shifts in these norms, which can occur at varying speeds, influenced by factors at multiple levels of analysis, including societal, group, and individual levels. In this article, I analyze the various concepts of social norms found in the literature, with a particular focus on their role in psychology. I describe the main sources of normative influence and illustrate, with multiple examples, how they operate in different social contexts. In this way, I address how these norms guide and facilitate participation in collective actions, their intergenerational transmission, and their role in the emergence of radicalization in social protest contexts. Furthermore, I delve into how group norms are linked to intergroup contact experiences involving both advantaged and disadvantaged group members, as well as the expression of prejudice and affective polarization. I conclude by emphasizing the necessity of adopting a multilevel approach to comprehend the connection between norms and social change.

The relationship between feminist collective action and social media engagement

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impact of online collective feminist actions on social media participation and the perceived value of social media as part of the social identity model of collective action (SIMCA).Design/methodology/approachA mixed methodology is used. Within the SIMCA model in the context of feminist collective actions, social identity, group-efficacy and fear predicted the intention of online collective action participation in the first part (quantitative) of the study. Contrary to predictions, the influence of anger on the intention to participate in collective action was negative. In-depth interviews are conducted in the study’s second (qualitative) part to investigate why individuals do not participate in collective actions despite their anger at violence against women.FindingsThe concept of online feminist collective action, from the perspective of the SIMCA model, deals with violence against women in the context of social marketing, revealing the importance of online collective actions as an antecedent of social media participation and the perceived value of social media. The possible causes of the negative impact of anger, which is an important emotion within the framework of the SIMCA model, on online feminist collective action were determined, and a contribution was made to the social marketing literature in the context of women’s rights.Originality/valueThe study makes three major contributions to the literature. First, women’s rights are addressed in the context of online collective action, an issue that has received little attention in social marketing. Second, in the context of the social identity theory of collective action, online collective feminist action and its predecessors are addressed. Finally, the Turkish case is used to highlight the probable causes of anger’s negative impact on collective action.

Collective action in the pastural area of Inner Mongolia, China: Evidence from a lab-in-the-field experiment

The degradation of grasslands is a pressing global issue. Extensive research has explored the implementation of collective action as a means to ensure the sustainable use of grassland resources. However, empirical analysis of its impact in the field is lacking. Therefore, we conducted a lab-in-the-field experiment to evaluate the intensity of herders’ participation in collective action and estimated its impact on grassland conservation and livestock production at herder household level. As a robustness check, we performed a principal component analysis to measure herders’ willingness to participate in collective action. The empirical results show that collective action has significant positive effects on grassland quality and livestock number. A mechanism analysis indicates that herders who are more actively engaged in collective action are more likely to adopt rotational grazing management practices, leading to better grassland quality and a higher number of livestock. A heterogeneity analysis reveals that the benefits of collective action on grassland conservation vary based on resource endowments and individual characteristics, including grassland area and social network. This study makes a significant contribution to the study of sustainable grassland management that promotes the coupling development of grassland protection and livestock production.

Influencing Factors of Farmers' Self-Organized Participation in Collective Actions in Rural Tourism of China

Influencing Factors of Farmers' Self-Organized Participation in Collective Actions in Rural Tourism of China

Promoting solidarity based collective action through increasing hope using nonviolent communication intervention

AbstractThe present study explores the impact of nonviolent communication (NVC) intervention on advantaged group members’ actual participation in collective action on behalf of disadvantaged outgroups, also known as solidarity‐based collective action (SBCA). It also examines the mediating role of hope and empathy in this process. Using an experimental longitudinal field study in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Jewish Israelis (N = 220) were randomly assigned either to an NVC or to a control condition. Results indicated that, relative to the control, participants in the NVC condition showed an increased tendency to engage in activities that are considered part of SBCA 6 weeks after the intervention. Furthermore, the NVC intervention affected both hope and empathy by maintaining higher levels of hope 6 weeks after intervention and by increasing empathy immediately after intervention. Yet hope, but not empathy, mediated the effect of the NVC intervention on participation in SBCA. Theoretical and applicable implications are discussed.

Impact of participation in collective action on farmers’ decisions and waiting time to adopt soil and water conservation measures

PurposeThis study aims to analyze the influence of farmers’ degree of participation in collective action on their adoption decisions and waiting time regarding soil and water conservation (SWC) measures.Design/methodology/approachThe Probit model and Generalized Propensity Score Match method are used to assess the effect of the degree of participation in collective action on farmers’ adoption decisions and waiting time for implementing SWC measures.FindingsThe findings reveal that farmers’ engagement in collective action positively influences the decision-making process regarding terrace construction, water-saving irrigation and afforestation measures. However, it does not significantly impact the decision-making process for plastic film and ridge-furrow tillage practices. Notably, collective action has the strongest influence on farmers’ adoption decisions regarding water-saving irrigation technology, with a relatively smaller influence on the adoption of afforestation and terrace measures. Moreover, the results suggest that participating in collective action effectively reduces the waiting time for terrace construction and expedites the adoption of afforestation and water-saving irrigation technology. Specifically, collective action has a significantly negative effect on the waiting time for terrace construction, followed by water-saving irrigation technology and afforestation measures.Practical implicationsThe results of this study underscore the significance of fostering mutual assistance and cooperation mechanisms among farmers, as they can pave the way for raising funds and labor, cultivating elite farmers, attracting skilled labor to rural areas, enhancing the adoption rate and expediting the implementation of terraces, water-saving irrigation technology and afforestation measures.Originality/valueDrawing on an evaluation of farmers’ degree of participation in collective action, this paper investigates the effect of participation on their SWC adoption decisions and waiting times, thereby offering theoretical and practical insights into soil erosion control in the Loess Plateau.

Associations between interconnectedness, compassion, and participation in collective action for people with mental illness: A random-intercept cross-lagged panel modeling approach.

The present study aims to prospectively investigate the relationships between interconnectedness, compassion, and participation in private and public forms of collective action for people with mental illness. Public form refers to collective action at the macrolevel such as large-scale protests and demonstrations going on in the communities. Private form refers to collective action happening at the microlevel that targets promoting awareness of social inequalities and positive changes among personal social circles, such as calling out microaggressions or correcting others' stigmatizing language. Eligible responses from 501 participants were collected at baseline, with 345 and 318 participants retained at 6-month and 12-month follow-up assessments, respectively. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models were conducted to investigate the mediating role of compassion in the relationships between interconnectedness and participation in private and public forms of collective action. Interconnectedness was consistently associated with a higher frequency of participation in private form, but not public form, of collective action at subsequent time points. Contrary to the hypothesis, results showed the nonsignificant mediating effect of compassion between interconnectedness and participation in both forms of collective action. The present study highlights the potential of interconnectedness in promoting a private form of collective action for the rights of people with mental illness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Evaluating the Impact of Social Networks on Human Communication in the Digital Era

The widespread adoption of social networks has significantly transformed human communication and interaction patterns in contemporary society. The purpose of the study is to examine how individuals perceive and experience social network usage, aiming to shed light on its implications for interaction frequency, communication styles, social unity, collective action participation, and overall well-being. Employing an observational and descriptive research design, data was collected from a diverse sample of 120 participants using surveys administered online or in-person. Convenience sampling techniques ensured a balanced representation across age groups, genders, occupations, and geographical locations. Data analysis involved a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches, with descriptive statistics summarizing demographic characteristics and survey responses. Thematic analysis was employed to identify recurring themes and patterns in qualitative data. Results reveal diverse perceptions regarding social network impact, with Facebook emerging as the most preferred platform for human communication. Participants reported varying levels of interaction frequency, communication styles, and concerns about negative effects on mental health. In conclusion, the study underscores the nuanced nature of social network dynamics and their implications for human communication and well-being. Recommendations include promoting digital literacy and mindfulness to mitigate potential negative impacts while harnessing the positive aspects of social network usage for enhancing social connections and community engagement.

Heterosexist system justification: Identity and ideology explain variability in sexual minorities’ opposition to homophobia and support for LGBTQ+ rights

We hypothesized that because politically conservative ideology legitimizes the status quo—including heteronormative institutions and arrangements—it should be negatively associated with in-group identification, opposition to homophobia, and support for LGBTQ+ rights among sexual minorities. These hypotheses, which were derived from system justification theory, were assessed in large US samples of sexual minority respondents. In Study 1 (N = 4,530) and Study 2 (N = 1,107), we observed that more conservative sexual minorities expressed weaker sexual identification, and, relatedly, less support for same-sex marriage and adoption and other rights and privileges, as well as less participation in collective action in favor of LGBTQ+ rights. In Study 3 (N = 446), heterosexist system justification was associated with decreased sexual identification and support for LGBTQ+ rights. In all studies, identity and ideology accounted for unique variance in support for vs. opposition to LGBTQ+ rights. Implications for the politics of sexual identity and collective action among disadvantaged groups are discussed.

Instrumentality and/or Identity? Explanation of Participation in Collective Action in the Gabonese Repressive Context Based on the Dual-Pathway Model of Social Movement Participation

The dual-pathway model of social movement participation posits that engagement in social movements is done through an instrumental pathway (by evaluating the costs and benefits of participation) or an identification pathway (by becoming aware of the similarity and destiny shared with members of the same social category as oneself); these pathways are mutually exclusive. In the present research, this postulate, formalized and tested until now exclusively in a democratic context, is tested in a repressive context, which differs from the democratic context due to the quasi-systematic recourse of the institutional authorities to coercive tactics to prevent the expression of dissident discourse and conduct. The data were collected during a student social movement from 389 Gabonese students (232 men and 152 women), aged between 16 and 33 (M = 23.9, SD = 3.20). They were administered self-reported measures, focusing on instrumentality, identity, and intention to participate in protest action. The results report that the instrumental and identification pathways simultaneously predict the intention to participate in protest action. They are therefore not mutually exclusive, as the model suggests.

Pourquoi les convictions morales facilitent le dogmatisme, l’intolérance et la violence

ObjectivesThis theoretical essay attempts to explain, from an interdisciplinary naturalistic perspective that integrates the biological and social sciences, why and how beliefs associated with moral values can lead to dogmatism, intolerant opinions and attitudes, and can motivate violent collective actions. MethodThe article relies on an integrative analysis of the empirical literature, drawing on 138 articles (78% published in the last eight years) in anthropology, neuroscience, psychology, political science, and sociology to explain why and how moralization strongly increases the strength of beliefs and attitudes – in certainty and importance – which, in turn, motivates social engagement and induces attitudinal extremism regardless of ideological or political affiliation. ResultsMoral convictions are perceived as objective, absolute, necessary, universal, and infallible truths with strong links to emotions, the reward circuit, and the value system in the brain that motivates and controls behavior. Moral values are generally shared with other members of one's community and, therefore, linked to social identity. Perceived social consensus is an important input to objectivity. Objectively grounded moral principles generate an expectation of consensus, which can lead to intolerance and hostility regarding anyone who disagrees. Moral convictions motivate participation in collective action and inspire the courage to oppose perceived injustices, real or imagined, despite a personal cost. Cognitive rigidity is often a characteristic of moral convictions. Once an issue is moralized and considered objective, whether in the social, economic, or political domains, it is more likely to be perceived as an absolute belief, held with high confidence, and immune to corrective information. People who are highly confident in their beliefs are more prone to confirmation bias, making them dogmatic with a sense of moral superiority and less willing to seek or consider corrective information regardless of the accuracy of their beliefs. Specific neural signatures and low-level cognitive dispositions are reliably associated with personality orientations prone to political and social dogmatic attitudes. DiscussionOpinions and attitudes, when moralized, can easily make people dogmatic and intolerant. Moral convictions can serve as mandates that facilitate political activism with extreme and often negative views. The conjunction of moral conviction and identity-based ideology is largely responsible for driving the contemporary hostile affective polarization of opinions. The lack of cognitive flexibility explains the failure to update, calibrate, and discard previous beliefs. This metacognitive overconfidence contributes to a dispositional tendency toward dogmatic intolerance. This makes it easier for people who are extreme in their political attitudes, regardless of political affiliation, to perceive their beliefs as moral absolutes (actions are intrinsically right or wrong, regardless of context or consequence) that reflect an objective, universal truth. ConclusionWhen a social, economic, or political issue is moralized, it becomes more difficult to integrate pragmatic aspects that consider risks, benefits, costs, and consequences. Moral convictions are, therefore, a double-edged sword with both constructive and destructive effects. Given that moral beliefs are often associated with the acceptance of any means to achieve preferred goals, a more comprehensive understanding of how and why they promote constructive but also sometimes destructive forms of social engagement is an important program for interdisciplinary scientific research. Moral conviction is a catalyst that turns beliefs into action, for better and for worse.

Determinants of hyena participation in risky collective action.

Collective action problems arise when cooperating individuals suffer costs of cooperation, while the benefits of cooperation are received by both cooperators and defectors. We address this problem using data from spotted hyenas fighting with lions. Lions are much larger and kill many hyenas, so these fights require cooperative mobbing by hyenas for them to succeed. We identify factors that predict when hyena groups engage in cooperative fights with lions, which individuals choose to participate and how the benefits of victory are distributed among cooperators and non-cooperators. We find that cooperative mobbing is better predicted by lower costs (no male lions, more hyenas) than higher benefits (need for food). Individual participation is facilitated by social factors, both over the long term (close kin, social bond strength) and the short term (greeting interactions prior to cooperation). Finally, we find some direct benefits of participation: after cooperation, participants were more likely to feed at contested carcasses than non-participants. Overall, these results are consistent with the hypothesis that, when animals face dangerous cooperative dilemmas, selection favours flexible strategies that are sensitive to dynamic factors emerging over multiple time scales.

Social identities, climate change denial, and efficacy beliefs as predictors of pro-environmental engagements

Climate change is a large-scale environmental crisis humanity faces. However, research shows that a considerable amount of people deny climate change. In this research, we suggest a social identity perspective on how climate change denial may exert its effects on pro-environmental engagements. To do so, we conducted a cross-sectional survey (N = 361) in which we assessed different (social) identities, efficacy beliefs, climate change denial, and pro-environmental actions. Results suggest that while environmentalist and global identities significantly predicted climate change denial, country identity did not. Environmentalist and country identities predicted collective efficacy, however, only environmentalist identity predicted participatory efficacy. Private pro-environmental behaviour was positively predicted by environmentalist and country identities; participation in collective action was positively predicted by environmentalist identity and negatively predicted by country identity. In addition, identification with environmentalist and global identities was positively associated with collective action through climate change denial and also participatory efficacy belief. These findings suggest that our consideration of climate change and behavioural choices might be shaped by our social environment.

How Local Perceptions Contribute to Urban Environmental Activism: Evidence from the Chicago Metropolitan Area

ABSTRACT In this paper, we examine how structural and social-psychological factors combine to motivate urban environmental activism. Specifically, we argue that residents’ everyday perceptions about environmental, social, and political conditions in their neighborhoods and cities are connected to their likelihood of involvement in environmental collective action. We use logistic regression models and original survey data from the 2021 Cook County Community Survey (n = 1,069) to investigate whether urban residents’ perceptions of the conditions where they live are associated with their likelihood of participating in protests or public meetings around environmental issues. Our findings show that, in the context of the Chicago metropolitan area, residents who perceive worse environmental conditions in their communities, feel a greater sense of belonging to their neighborhoods, and feel they understand local politics and have political power are more likely to mobilize. In contrast, those who are pessimistic about the future of their neighborhoods are less likely to act. The study suggests that participation in urban environmental collective action is partly explained by how people interpret the daily surroundings they routinely navigate and experience where they live.

Determinates of participation in collective action of forest coffee management in Kafa zone, Southwest Ethiopia

Growing pressure on Sub-Saharan Africa's forest resources and their associated unwise use is attracting both scientific and policy concerns. Coffee forests are important natural resource settings exhibiting sustainability challenges related to governance, usage, and management. Collective management action measures, that center on the local community has been proposed to produce sustainable forests and forest communities through a more integrated, holistic approach to resource governance. This study was conducted to analyze participation in collective action of forest coffee management in Kafa Zone, Southwest Ethiopia where data were collected from 164 farmers using multistage sampling and analyzed by probit model. The coffee production experience, extension visits frequency, household education, off-income, market information, and boundary of users affect participation in collective action. Therefore, formulating accepted rules and regulations for forest coffee management, improving the frequency of farmers' extension visits, and increasing awareness of the negative consequences of forest coffee degradation among farmers enhance the chance of farmers' participation in collective action. Additionally, institutions related to defined boundaries of users had a positive outcome revealing establishments of boundaries that encourage local communities to have the right to enter, manage the resources, and have user exclusivity in forest coffee. The findings of the study show that market information influences participation in collective action. Increasing access to market information on the price and demand of forest coffee increase farmers' participation in collective action.

Land scale heterogeneity, collective action and soil erosion control: evidence from the Loess Plateau of China

This paper investigates the effect of land scale heterogeneity on participation by farmers in collective action and the level of erosion control, and its mechanism of action, using survey data from 45 villages and 1,149 households in a typical erosion area of the Yellow River basin. The results show that there is a non-linear, U-shaped relationship between land size heterogeneity and farmers’ participation in collective action and the level of erosion control, respectively, and that collective action plays a mediating role in the U-shaped relationship between land size heterogeneity and level of erosion control. This implies that maintaining a homogeneous distribution of land among households within the village collectivity and a large disparity in land allocation both promote participation in collective action and thus improve the level of erosion control. Using an endogenous regression transformation model to deal with endogeneity and robustness tests, the findings remain robust. In the mechanism analysis section, variables for the level of trust and co-ordination of interests are introduced and a non-linear, U-shaped relationship is found between land size heterogeneity through the effect of both on collective action. This suggests that the allocation of land resources as described above can co-ordinate the level of trust and the direction of interests among farmers, leading to conditions for co-operation and thus facilitating farmers’ participation in collective action.

Policy Practice in Non-profit Ethnic Minority Organisations: Tension Axes and Supportive Intra-Organisational Conditions

Abstract Despite growing interest in the involvement of social workers in policy design processes, this concept has been narrowly examined from the perspective of social workers who belong to ethnic minority groups and who are employed in non-profit ethnic minority organisations (NPEMOs) in multicultural societies. The present research sought to understand how the ethnic identity of minority social workers affects their perception to act in policy arenas within their employment in NPEMOs, and to identify the intra-organisational conditions that prompt and support this involvement. Relying on in-depth interviews conducted with social workers from the Arab minority group in Israel who operate in policy arenas, we demonstrate that this involvement is characterised by dealing with axes of tension and is supported by intra-organisational conditions, which include organisational procedures, organisational cohesion and participation in collective action. The research contributes to expanding the understanding of policy practice in social work in multicultural societies, in the organisational contexts of race, equality and social justice.

Employment, collective action, and satisfaction: the moderating role of acceptance of inequality

AbstractThe present work proposes that the relation of employment conditions (i.e., unemployment and precarious work vs. permanent employment) with participation in collective action and satisfaction with life depends on the extent to which acceptance of inequality is high or low, and that collective action mediates the association between employment conditions and satisfaction with life. We analyzed data from the European Social Survey (Round 8, 2016) and found that (1) when acceptance of inequality is low (vs. high), employment disadvantage is positively related to engagement in collective action and, in turn, satisfaction with life; (2) employment disadvantage is negatively related to satisfaction with life, and this relation increases when acceptance of inequality is low (vs. high). This study generates findings of interest to inequality researchers by showing the relevance of acceptance of inequality for collective action and life satisfaction in the context of employment.

"I am going to break this logic of fear!": Activism and subversive care at the periphery of Fortaleza, Brazil.

Based on ethnographic work conducted between 2015 and 2022 at the periphery of Fortaleza, in Northeast Brazil, this article analyzes the work of community activists as a form of subversive care. Women activists, many of whom work for the local public clinics, as social workers with local NGOs, or as schoolteachers, challenge dominant narratives presented in the media and political discourses about their neighborhood as being poor and therefore violent. By establishing relationships of mutual trust with gang members and humanizing them, women activists "challenge the logic of fear" and maintain presence in areas controlled by the gangs to direct the economically vulnerable toward existing public resources. Activists' understanding of urban violence is informed by participation in collective action and living together with gang members and their families. These experiences lead activists to see urban violence as the symptom of systemic inequalities that require systemic changes.