Partial participation towards collective action: To stifle or instigate

Alexander Funcke and Ulrik Franke
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Alexander Funcke: Philosophy, Politics and Economics, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Ulrik Franke: Software and Systems Engineering Laboratory, Swedish Institute of Computer Science, Sweden; Swedish Defence Research Agency, Sweden

Rationality and Society, 2016, vol. 28, issue 4, 453-467

Abstract: In this paper we extend the Granovetter threshold model with partial participation towards a collective action. That is, agents may partake by conducting an action that is less costly than the ultimate collective action, but costly enough to signal a commitment to the cause. We show that it is not just the exact distribution of thresholds, but also the distribution of available actions that determines whether a collective action will be achieved. We suggest and prove propositions for how both an inventive “activist†and a “dictator†may strategically change the signaling value of existing actions, or introduce new ones, in order to either instigate or stifle collective action. Applying the theory to revolutions, we argue that new technology can play a role beyond that of communication and synchronization, viz. that of adding modes of partial, less arduous, participation.

Keywords: Threshold model; collective action; partial participation; uprising; revolution; social media (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:ratsoc:v:28:y:2016:i:4:p:453-467

DOI: 10.1177/1043463116658873

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