Activist Cohesion and Protest Outcomes: Evidence from Europe and Africa

• In Event: Protest and Regimes

Abstract

Some activists unite around a common goal, whereas others are less cohesive. How does this variation influence the eventual outcomes of protest? This paper answers that question using individual-level survey data from more than 100 European protests, aggregated into a novel measure of activist cohesion. Regression analyses of the data include originally coded measures of protest outcomes, including incumbent concessions and promises of concessions. To shed light on the causal mechanisms underlying the observed relationship between activist cohesion and protest outcomes, the paper leverages laboratory experiments designed to test whether activists who share priorities coordinate and cooperate better than activists with different priorities. Experiments are replicated in European as well as African countries.

Author

• Lisa Mueller, Macalester College