In the 1960s and 1970s, sociology researchers began to study how social movements depend on resources in order to bring about social change. Kendall defines the theory as such, resource mobilization theory focuses on the ability of members of a social movement to acquire resources and mobilize people in order to advance their cause.[9]Note that the aforementioned affluence is said to be most beneficial when coupled with an open state, which allows groups to mobilize freely and encourages debate and dissent as it promotes the values of freedom, capitalism and transparency. (Cambridge, MA. Tufte, Edward R. (1978) Political Control of the Economy (Princeton University Press). The accessibility of their website is a key factor to their success. Resource mobilization entails perceptions concerning people as rational actors, who are responsible for securing and marshaling resources within a social movement. 58799. Palgrave Macmillan, London. All of these different groups worked together to amass resources and direct them toward the same goal. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. McCarthy, John D. and Mayer Zald (1973) The Trend of Social Movements in America: Professionalization and Resource Mobilization ( New Jersey: General Learning Press). 21.3F: Resource Mobilization Approach is shared under a CC BY-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts. ( Boston: Beacon Press). d. only applies to college students. Most prominently, these include resource dependence theory, organizational economics, evolutionary theory, industrial marketing and purchasing, strategic management, neo-institutional theory, critical perspectives, and the management perspective theory. Palgrave Macmillan, London. Tilly, Charles (1981) As Sociology Meets History ( New York: Academic Press). Definition and Examples. Some movements are effective without an influx of money and are more dependent upon the movement of members for time and labor (e.g., the civil rights movement in the US). Coupled with its relative openness and adaptability should make resource mobilization theory a useful tool for the foreseeable future. Foweraker describes this as a tautological trap, in which the theory, must then define the actors interests in such a way that no matter what choice is made it is always sent to further those interests.[24]Melucci agrees with this ascertain by stating that, collective action is never based solely on cost-benefit calculation and a collective identity is never entirely negotiable.[25]As Scott correctly points out, social movements must include, the cultural as well as the purposive aspects[26]for as it stands now, resource mobilization theory understands the how of social movements, but not the why. Material assets include currency, buildings, people, telephones and computers. The LibreTexts libraries arePowered by NICE CXone Expertand are supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the UC Davis Office of the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program, and Merlot. Sociologists have found that being able to effectively utilize resources is linked to a social organization's success. Tilly, Charles (1986) The Contentious French ( Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press). Reprinted in Richard A. Cloward and Frances Fox Piven (1974) The Politics of Turmoil ( New York: Pantheon). Kerbo, Harold R. and Richard A. Shaffer (1986) Unemployment and Protest in the United States, 18901940; A Methodological Critique and Research Note. Social Forces, vol. Conscription of wreath. Theyve made the case that other approaches are also necessary to gain a real understanding of social movements. ), Handbook of Sociology ( Beverely Hills, CA: Sage Publications ). Resource Mobilization - Criticism. We're here to answer any questions you have about our services. 4, no. What is a resource-mobilization theory? In this paper, they introduced terminology for this theory defining: So, any particular human rights group is a social movement organization; and it is also part of a larger social movement industry of human rights organizations. [27]Also, an associated weakness of the theory is that it gives little room for any sort of cultural considerations. Resource Mobilisation Theory 20 related questions found What is the concept of relative deprivation theory? ), The Formation of National States in Western Europe (Princeton University Press). In real terms, Resource Mobilization means expansion of relations with the Resource Providers, the skills, knowledge and capacity for proper use of . McCammon, Holly J. McCarthy and Zald also drew the distinction between people who stand to directly benefit from a cause (whether or not they actually support the cause themselves) and people who don't benefit from a cause personally but support it because they believe it is the right thing to do. Non-material assets include ideology, will-power, political support, leadership and solidarity. For many people, relative deprivation means the lack of resources or time to support certain lifestyles, activities, and amenities that an individual or group has become . C.Elites have the most to gain from a social movement. ), The Formation of National States in Western Europe (Princeton University Press). (1975) The Strategy of Social Protest (Homewood, Il: Dorsey). Specifically . Resource mobilization theorists also look at how the social organizations resources can impact its choices. On the flip side, critics also point out that having the resources available is unimportant if there is no organization in place to use the resources correctly. Google Scholar. Resource Mobilization to Help People Experiencing Homelessness. 4, no. ThoughtCo. The history of resource mobilization theory begins pre-dominantly with research done in the 1970s. -The resource-mobilization theory asserts that social movements form when people who share grievances are able to mobilize resources and take action. Part of the Main Trends of the Modern World book series (MTMW). Cloward, Richard A. and Frances Fox Piven (1984) Disruption and Organization: A Rejoinder to Gamson and Schmeidler. Theory and Society, vol. Resource theory is a more sociological version of the self-concept explanations. { "21.3A:_Social_Movements" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "21.3B:_Types_of_Social_Movements" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "21.3C:_Propaganda_and_the_Mass_Media" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "21.3D:_The_Stages_of_Social_Movements" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "21.3E:_Relative_Deprivation_Approach" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "21.3F:_Resource_Mobilization_Approach" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "21.3G:_Gender_and_Social_Movements" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "21.3H:_New_Social_Movements" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()" }, { "21.01:_Social_Change_and_Collective_Behavior" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "21.02:_Sources_of_Social_Change" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()", "21.03:_Social_Movements" : "property get [Map MindTouch.Deki.Logic.ExtensionProcessorQueryProvider+<>c__DisplayClass228_0.b__1]()" }, [ "article:topic", "showtoc:no", "license:ccbysa", "columns:two" ], https://socialsci.libretexts.org/@app/auth/3/login?returnto=https%3A%2F%2Fsocialsci.libretexts.org%2FBookshelves%2FSociology%2FIntroduction_to_Sociology%2FBook%253A_Sociology_(Boundless)%2F21%253A_Social_Change%2F21.03%253A_Social_Movements%2F21.3F%253A_Resource_Mobilization_Approach, \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}}}\) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash{#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\), status page at https://status.libretexts.org, Use the resource-mobilization theory to explain some of the successful social movements in history, such as the Civil Rights Movement. Inability to ensure equal treatment in . Foweraker believes this shortcoming gives rise to two fundamental flaws of resource mobilization theory and described these two problems as such. Conversely, the organization/entrepreneurial model emphasizes resource management, the role of leaders and leadership, and the dynamics of organization. 26, no. Snyder, David and Charles Tilly (1972) Hardship and Collective Violence in France, 18831960, American Sociological Review, vol. 7, no. Registered office: Creative Tower, Fujairah, PO Box 4422, UAE. Lipsky, Michael (1968) Protest as a Political Resource. American Political Science Review, vol. 1, pp. While this period is often characterized as a period of antimodernism and antirationalism, the thinkers behind the industrial mobilization sought to envision . McCarthy and Zald (1977) conceptualize resource mobilization theory as a way to explain movement success in terms of the ability to acquire resources and mobilize individuals. (1975) The Strategy of Social Protest (Homewood, Il: Dorsey). . When principal formula-tors of the current approaches sought to understand those movements, they found it nec-essary to reject the collective behavior model and its imagery of the emotional crowd. The theory purports to understand the dynamic relationship between social movements, yet pays no heed to events such as political negotiations, bribery, espionage and sabotage. d. only applies to college students. Definition Resource Mobilization is a process, which will identify the resources essential for the development, implementation and continuation of works for achieving the organization's mission. Copyright 2003 - 2023 - UKEssays is a trading name of Business Bliss Consultants FZE, a company registered in United Arab Emirates. Some theorists, such as Anthony Oberschall have furthered the view that the resources defined by the theory are in a constant state of struggle, in which they are perpetually created, consumed, transferred and/or lost.