COLLECTIVE ACTION SYSTEMS IN IMMIGRATION AND MULTICULTURALISM POLICY AND PRACTICE: COMPLEXITY AND DYNAMICS OF INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL NETWORKS

Collective action has been explored as an alternative to traditional or single-minded actions in solving complex or ‘wicked’ problems prevalent in contemporary society. Yet, in order to improve its applicability and potential, existing gaps in field research need to be identified and filled. Pointing out the lack of research in complexity and dynamics of collective action systems in every day social policy and practice, this dissertation focuses on uncovering those aspects by asking: How and why did collective action systems emerge in the first place, and continually change over time? What were the roles of public policy in the processes? How could the value of collective action systems be enhanced? To answer these questions, this dissertation investigates collective action systems in immigration and multiculturalism policy and practice of two cities in South Korea, based on a theoretical framework drawn from the ‘institutional analysis and development framework’, theories of structures—complex adaptive systems and social networks, and theory of fields. A set of data was collected by mixed methods, i.e., network coding, semi-structured interviews, and perception surveys, and documentation reviews. Then, descriptive/statistical social network analyses, process tracing, decision analysis, documentary analysis, and descriptive statistics were utilized to explore the emergence and change in local collective action systems in the policy arena from 2002 to 2013. Findings suggest that regardless of inherent contextual differences between the cases, local collective action systems emerged when local participants established a shared definition of local immigrants, and collective goals to serve those local immigrants. However, the immigration and multiculturalism Acts and policies, accompanied with standardized policy implementation procedures, resulted in change in the existing systems in both cities. Despite the frustration due to recent system changes and some contextual roadblocks, local participants still perceived benefits of local collective action systems in the policy arena. Thus, this dissertation suggests policy recommendations that can control the contextual, structural, procedural, and perceptual impediments, and enhance the value of the collective action systems in policy and practice

How activists and target organizations collaborate in the face of emerging contingencies:setbacks and inaction: constraining or enablers of change?

In this paper, we attempt to examine the sources of agency of target organizations when engaged in collective change processes organized by activists concerned with environmental issues and sustainable development in the eastern part of the Netherlands. In combining social movement and institutional entrepreneurship literature, we examine why and how target organizations engage in collective action, change their practices, and adopt new ones in the pursuit of solving a common issue with the help of activists. We found that motivations and intentions to contribute to collective action were instrumental in the beginning of their participation. However, as the project evolves, intentions changed through a reorientation of existing practices and positions in the collective change process of target organizations. This shift was caused by inaction and other setbacks where target organizations and activists were exposed. These changes in turn, set in new practice development and organizational forms necessary to continue collective change. With these findings, we contribute to an understanding of network mobilization by showing the emergent and dynamic character of collective change and especially indicate setbacks and inaction as both constraining and necessary condition for change

Mapping institutional change:Analyzing strategies for institutional design in collective infrastructure renewal

Actors' toolset to affect institutional change by doing institutional design is limited because criteria for effective institutional design are often too general and abstract. This paper aims to identify institutional design strategies and explore how they influence institutional change. The theoretical framework builds on Ostrom's Institutional Analysis and Development framework to map institutional change, and it identifies six institutional design strategies: framing, puzzling, powering, network composition, network outcomes, and network interaction. A comparative case study on Dutch infrastructure renewal opportunities – one case's institutional design interventions attained collective renewal, the other did not – maps institutional change in decision-making rounds through institutional directions. Key findings include that institutional change of position, boundary, choice, and information rules first is conducive to collective action. Moreover, mimicry of especially choice rules is pivotal. Furthermore, institutional design strategies have a configurational nature: microlevel strategies have mesolevel consequences, and some configurations instigate change, whereas others cause dynamic inertia

Farmers’ social networks and regional spillover effects in agricultural climate change mitigation

Climate change poses a severe threat to global agricultural production and rural livelihoods, and since agriculture itself is a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, it can also play an important role in climate change mitigation. This article investigates how farmers’ social networks influence the adoption of on-farm mitigation strategies. More precisely, we use a network autocorrelation model to explore the relationship between a farmer’s own mitigation behavior and the mitigation behavior and knowledge of his fellow farmers. The analysis is based on a regional case study in Switzerland and uses data obtained from personal network interviews combined with survey and census data of 50 farmers. Half of them are members of a local collective action initiative for agricultural climate change mitigation, while the others do not participate in the initiative. We find that, on average, farmers with a larger network adopt more mitigation measures, and furthermore, mitigation adoption is linked with the level of knowledge within farmers’ networks. Indeed, the likelihood that non-members will adopt mitigation measures increases if they are closely associated with members of the collective action, suggesting a local spillover effect. It follows that strengthening knowledge exchange among farmers and supporting local farmers’ initiatives can potentially contribute to the diffusion of agricultural climate change mitigation practices

A dynamic model of engagement in normative and non-normative collective action : psychological antecedents, consequences, and barriers

Some of the research reported in this review was prepared while Nicole Tausch was a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at Cardiff University (PDF/2007/520). Parts of this research were supported by a grant from the Economic and Social Research Council (RES-000-22-3251) awarded to Nicole Tausch and Russell Spears and by a grant from the German Research Foundation awarded to Jenny Roth for a network on “intra- and intergroup processes in the context of social inequality” (RO 4826/1-1).This review addresses three recent developments in the collective action literature. First, we demonstrate that normative and non-normative collective action participation can be predicted by different psychological variables. Second, we show that collective action participation has emotional and identity-related consequences for activists that shape their motivation to engage in future action. Third, we illustrate that members of disadvantaged groups are faced with two dilemmas: the dilemma of alternative ways of identity management and the dilemma of affective loyalties towards the outgroup, both of which present barriers to social change by undermining protest intentions. In the final part of the review, we outline an integrative framework that maps out the dynamic processes between antecedents of, barriers to and outcomes of collective action participation and highlight a number of directions for future research.PostprintPeer reviewe

Empowerment through technology: Gender dimensions of social capital build-up in Maharashtra, India

"This paper explores how and to what extent women and men have benefited from the build-up of social capital in technology uptake, and the role of women in this process. Using a case study on Groundnut Production Technology (GPT) in Maharashtra, India, a systematic documentation of the process by which farmers – both men and women - as well as the whole community became empowered through the build-up of social capital is presented. The focus of the paper is on collective action as a mechanism to stimulate gender-equitable change processes. Our evidence suggests that the technology uptake process was enhanced with the build up of social capital, whereby men and women from all class and caste groups came together for improving their livelihoods. Collective action was enhanced with the increased involvement and participation of women. Strong kinship ties were developed among diverse classes all over the village including landless tribal women, who formed the major labor force for this technology. The paper concludes that social networks played a crucial mediating role in the process of technology uptake. The build-up of social capital played an important role in influencing impacts from the technology because of the ways in which social networks and social relationships facilitated technology dissemination. Gender relations played a significant role in mediating the translation of economic benefits into well being of the individual, the family and community. Finally, it is suggested that further insights into the role of social networks and power relations in the village may be examined in greater detail by establishing the village network architecture, especially marginalized groups." Author's AbstractEmpowerment, Technology adoption, Agricultural growth, Agricultural technology, Gender, Social capital buildup, Social networks, Impact, Collective action,

Node Vulnerability under Finite Perturbations in Complex Networks

A measure to quantify vulnerability under perturbations (attacks, failures, large fluctuations) in ensembles (networks) of coupled dynamical systems is proposed. Rather than addressing the issue of how the network properties change upon removal of elements of the graph (the strategy followed by most of the existing methods for studying the vulnerability of a network based on its topology), here a dynamical definition of vulnerability is introduced, referring to the robustness of a collective dynamical state to perturbing events occurring over a fixed topology. In particular, we study how the collective (synchronized) dynamics of a network of chaotic units is disrupted under the action of a finite size perturbation on one of its nodes. Illustrative examples are provided for three systems of identical chaotic oscillators coupled according to three distinct well-known network topologies. A quantitative comparison between the obtained vulnerability rankings and the classical connectivity/centrality rankings is made that yields conclusive results. Possible applications of the proposed strategy and conclusions are also discussed

Expanding the Network Evaluation Toolkit: Combining Social Network Analysis & Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Collective action networks are complex systems of interrelated individuals or groups that come together for a common social change purpose (Ernstson, 2011). Researchers have used social network analysis (SNA) to examine the relationship structures and characteristics of collective action networks. However, determining whether collective action networking produces outcomes has been challenging because networks are complex, affected by context, and produce interdependent data. I addressed these challenges by pairing SNA with qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), a configurational comparative method. Using QCA, researchers can tease out which conditions are necessary or sufficient to produce an outcome. I analyzed a collective action network of community-based resource management groups in Hawaii using SNA. Then, I analyzed the same network using an explanatory mixed methods case study. Finally, I used QCA to integrate the quantitative SNA data with qualitative case study data to determine what conditions were necessary and sufficient to achieve the network’s desired outcomes. Finally, I reviewed the results from using these different methods to explore how QCA can be a useful tool for evaluators to add to their network evaluation toolkit

Intergroup contact and collective action:A match made in hell, or in heaven?

ince Wright and Lubensky (2009) suggested that intergroup contact and collective action seem strategically incompatible when it comes to social change, social psychologists have been inclined to see their potential match as one made in hell, rather than in heaven. Against this backdrop, I review and discuss the contributions to this special issue, most of which seem to suggest that intergroup contact and collective action are a match made in heaven, not hell. To account for these seemingly divergent perspectives, I suggest that both intergroup contact and collective action be conceptualized as relational, interaction‐based phenomena within which the forces of harmony and conflict—intergroup contact and collective action, respectively—reflect two sides of the same coin, namely individuals’ need to regulate their relationships within their social network. As such, it is individuals’ embeddedness in (networks of) social relationships that determines whether intergroup contact and collective action work together, or against each other, toward social change. I discuss the need for a broader and integrative theoretical perspective that does justice to the underlying psychology of these phenomena in terms of relationship regulation

Active contractility in actomyosin networks

Contractile forces are essential for many developmental processes involving cell shape change and tissue deformation. Recent experiments on reconstituted actomyosin networks, the major component of the contractile machinery, have shown that active contractility occurs above a threshold motor concentration and within a window of crosslink concentration. We present a microscopic dynamic model that incorporates two essential aspects of actomyosin self-organization: the asymmetric load response of individual actin filaments and the correlated motor-driven events mimicking myosin-induced filament sliding. Using computer simulations we examine how the concentration and susceptibility of motors contribute to their collective behavior and interplay with the network connectivity to regulate macroscopic contractility. Our model is shown to capture the formation and dynamics of contractile structures and agree with the observed dependence of active contractility on microscopic parameters including the contractility onset. Cooperative action of load-resisting motors in a force-percolating structure integrates local contraction/buckling events into a global contractile state via an active coarsening process, in contrast to the flow transition driven by uncorrelated kicks of susceptible motors.Comment: 15 pages, 4 main figures, 4 supplementary figure