Routing the Opposition

Social Movements, Public Policy, and Democracy

2005
•

David S. Meyer, Valerie Jenness, and Helen Ingram, editors

Explores the crucial nexus of policy makers and social movements

Capturing both successes and failures, Routing the Opposition focuses on strategies that transform social movements and guide the development of public policy, revealing what happens when the different organizational cultures of activists and public policy makers interact.

Contributors: Edwin Amenta, Lee Ann Banaszak, Frank R. Baumgartner, Ryken Grattet, Mrill Ingram, Mary Fainsod Katzenstein, Christine Mahoney, John D. McCarthy, Suzanne Mettler, Ellen Reese.

Finally we have a collection that provides a coherent framework for understanding the connections between collective action and public policy. The value of social movements as a vehicle for civic engagement rings through loud and clear.

—

Mary Margaret Fonow, author of Union Women: Forging Feminism in the United Steelworkers of America

Routing the Opposition connects the substance and content of policies with the movements that create and respond to them. The authors engage such topics as the process of involving multiple stakeholders in policy making, the impact of overlapping social networks on policy and social movement development, and the influence of policy design on the increase or decline of civic involvement. Capturing both successes and failures, Routing the Opposition focuses on strategies and outcomes that both transform social movements and guide the development of public policy, revealing as well what happens when the very different organizational cultures of activists and public policy makers interact.

Contributors: Edwin Amenta, New York U.; Lee Ann Banaszak, Penn State U; Frank R. Baumgartner, Penn State U; Ryken Grattet, U of California, Davis; Mrill Ingram, U of Wisconsin, Madison; Mary Fainsod Katzenstein, Cornell U; Christine Mahoney; John D. McCarthy, Penn State U; Suzanne Mettler, Syracuse U; Ellen Reese, U of California, Riverside.

David S. Meyer is professor of sociology and political science at the University of California, Irvine.

Valerie Jenness is professor of criminology, law, and society and sociology at the University of California, Irvine.

Helen Ingram is professor of social ecology at the University of California, Irvine.

Finally we have a collection that provides a coherent framework for understanding the connections between collective action and public policy. The value of social movements as a vehicle for civic engagement rings through loud and clear.

—

Mary Margaret Fonow, author of Union Women: Forging Feminism in the United Steelworkers of America

Routing the Opposition is a must read for all students of social movements and public policy. It will leave its mark on the field of social movement research.

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Mobilization

I like this book very much—I found it informative and it stimulated me to think about my own work in new ways. Routing the Opposition offers suggestive pointers on how to look for democracy in action.

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Contemporary Sociology

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction. Social Movements and Public Policy: Eggs, Chicken, and Theory David S. Meyer

Part I. Context Matters and Patterns of Infl uence: Agendas and Alliances

1. Political Contexts, Challenger Strategies, and Mobilization: Explaining the Impact of the Townsend Plan Edwin Amenta
2. Social Movements, the Rise of New Issues, and the Public Agenda Frank R. Baumgartner and Christine Mahoney
3. Velcro Triangles: Elite Mobilization of Local Antidrug Issue Coalitions John D. McCarthy

Part II. The Social Movement–State Nexus: The Structure and Consequences of Interpenetration

4. Creating Credible Edibles: The Organic Agriculture Movement and the Emergence of U.S. Federal Organic Standards Mrill Ingram and Helen Ingram
5. Inside and Outside the State: Movement Insider Status, Tactics, and Public Policy Achievements Lee Ann Banaszak
6. Th e Policy Nexus: Professional Networks and the Formulation and Adoption of Workers’ Compensation Reforms Ryken Grattet

Part III. The Nature of the Field: Impacts on Participation, Mobilization, and Identity

7. Policy Feedback Effects for Collective Action: Lessons from Veterans’ Programs Suzanne Mettler
8. Rights without Citizenship: Activist Politics and Prison Reform in the United States Mary Fainsod Katzenstein
9. Policy Threats and Social Movement Coalitions: California’s Campaign to Restore Legal Immigrants’ Rights to Welfare Ellen Reese
Conclusion. Social Movements, Public Policy, and Democracy: Rethinking the Nexus Valerie Jenness, David S. Meyer, and Helen Ingram

Contributors

Index