The Impact of Social Ties on Coalition Strength and Effectiveness

The Case of the Battered Women's Movement in St Louis

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6219982
AutoresGretchen Arnold (Saint Louis University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2011
Volumen10
Número2
Páginas131-150
Fecha de publicación2011-04-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSocial movement studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1474-2829 • E-ISSN: 1474-2837
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14742837.2011.562360
OpenAlexW2047691022
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas23
Referencias citadas40

Although a number of researchers have studied social movement coalitions, we still need to develop better ways to analyze why some initiatives succeed and others fail. In this study, I compare three different coalitions in which battered women's movement activists participated to determine the factors that made some coalitions stronger and more effective than others. Using qualitative data from a 16-year longitudinal study, I found that an important variable affecting a coalition's strength is the quality of the social relationships among its members. In particular, close personal ties encourage a degree of trust, the sharing of detailed knowledge, and collective problem-solving mechanisms that enable coalition members to anticipate one another's preferences and behavior and overcome conflicts as they arise. The greater coordination capacity that results can make it possible for a social movement to exert increased political power and position it to take advantage of new political opportunities when they arise

Business · Epistemology · Interpersonal ties · Movement (music · Political science · Politics · Position (finance · Power (physics · Public relations · Quality (philosophy · Social movement · Sociology · Community Health and Development · Law · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Psychology · Social Capital and Networks · Social Psychology