The Diffusion of an Unsuccessful Innovation

Sarah A. Soule
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Sarah A. Soule: University of Arizona in Tucson

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 1999, vol. 566, issue 1, 120-131

Abstract: It is often assumed that only successful or effective innovations diffuse. This article examines the diffusion of an unsuccessful protest tactic used during the student divestment movement: the shantytown. Two factors led student activists to adopt it. The first factor was the media construction of the tactic as successful. The second factor was how this tactic fit with an existing student tactical repertoire and resonated with students' perceptions of South Africa. These factors led students to adopt it without attaining information about its effectiveness at actually forcing university divestment.

Date: 1999
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:anname:v:566:y:1999:i:1:p:120-131

DOI: 10.1177/000271629956600110

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