Social movements and neo-institutionalism: A fruitful merger?

Abstract

Social movement theory assumes that by and large rational movement actors weigh their chances and adjust their strategies to opportunities. This is in sharp contrast to the difficulty of assessing whether social movements make an impact and the self-assessment of movement actors who see only negligible chances of success. Organizational neo-institutionalism offers an alternative explanation. It argues that organizations act according to institutionalized rules and scripts of adequate behavior that are spread among movement activists due to similar learning processes and network linkages. Neo-institutionalism provides a new understanding of social movement action and bridges the gap between assumed rationality and the stable activity repertoires. Furthermore, it redirects attention to the process of diffusion among movement organizations.