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The Organizational Roots of Political Activism: Field Experiments on Creating a Relational Context

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2016

HAHRIE HAN
HAHRIE HAN*
Affiliation:
University of California, Santa Barbara
*
Hahrie Han is Anton Vonk Associate Professor of Political Science, Department of Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (hahrie@polsci.ucsb.edu).
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Abstract

This article examines the role that democratic organizations play in fostering political activism in America. Activists make democracy work by attending meetings, engaging others, trying to make their voice heard, and participating in myriad other ways. Yet, we still need a deeper understanding of what role organizations play in cultivating that activism. The article presents data from three field experiments showing that creating a relational organizational context makes targets more likely to sign petitions, recruit others, and attend meetings. The article argues that civic organizations can have a powerful impact on activism. In doing so, it introduces a new set of variables related to organizational context to consider in understanding the sources of participation. The article thus extends a burgeoning body of experimental research on the social bases of voter turnout by examining not only voting but other forms of activism that are increasingly common modes of citizen involvement in the twenty-first century.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 110 , Issue 2 , May 2016 , pp. 296 - 307
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2016 

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