7 - Conclusion

Summary

Why do movements succeed or fail? Or, more precisely, under what conditions are movements capable of extracting desired concessions from their targets? The purpose of this book has been to answer this question. To do so, I began with the proposition that explaining movement outcomes necessitates greater attention to the targets themselves, and to the specific costs that movements impose upon them. Pushing this point further, I distinguished between the two main costs that movements directly or indirectly impose and argued that, depending upon their relative magnitude, target responses can be generally predicted. This much is simple and straightforward and, if this line of reasoning went no further, it might not prove particularly interesting or useful. Yet, from this rudimentary starting point, greater theoretical purchase on the topic can be achieved based on the consideration of variation in the magnitude of these costs for specific targets, as well as for third parties. In particular, I explore how actors weigh these costs and identify the main factors contributing to variation in their magnitude. The metric for assessing damage to their interests depends upon the target.

While studies of movement outcomes concentrate overwhelmingly on political targets, actual social movements routinely focus on economic actors, as seen in the mobilization concerning environmental degradation, genetically modified foods, corporate social responsibility, globalization, and so on.