2016: Vol. 63, Issue 1 by Marion Coddou
This article proposes an institutional approach to political engagement that reorients inquiry fr... more This article proposes an institutional approach to political engagement that reorients inquiry from individual characteristics and social capital to organizational contexts and the institutional practices that shape how members interpret political opportunities. Using data from the 2006 Pew Changing Faiths Survey, I draw from the case of faith-based Latino mobilization into the 2006 immigrant rights protests to show that the impact of organizational participation on protest depends on institutional practices that define, focus, and direct member interests. I apply this argument to two relevant types of institutionally defined social capital: ethnic and religious. In the case of ethnic social capital, I find that ethnic church attendance amplified Hispanic national origin differences in protest rates in a manner consistent with differential treatment under U.S. immigration policy. In the case of religious social capital, I find that active religious involvement only increased the likelihood of protest when churches institutionally supported protest. Together, these findings suggest that a key mechanism linking nonpolitical organizations to protest is their ability to define and direct collective interest through institutional practices. K E Y W O R D S : social capital; organizations; political participation; immigration; ethnicity. From March through May of 2006, millions of immigrant Latinos and their supporters took to the streets to march in peaceful protests across the country in defense of immigrant rights. They marched in reaction to enforcement-only national immigration legislation passed in the House of Representatives (HR4437) that would criminalize undocumented immigration and penalize any employer , service provider, or individual assisting an undocumented immigrant. Yet, by and large, most participants in the demonstrations were those scholars would least expect to be politically active based on socioeconomic and acculturation theories: noncitizens, Spanish-dominant speakers, and
Papers by Marion Coddou
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000
Social support helps households manage everyday necessities, take advantage of opportunities, and... more Social support helps households manage everyday necessities, take advantage of opportunities, and ensure survival in times of crisis. Previous research finds that the majority of informal social support comes from close friends and family, and these networks are compartmentalized, with different kinds of ties providing different kinds of support (Wellman 1992, Small 2009). However, recent ethnographic work suggests that in low resource networks, certain relational expectations break down, leading to a wider search for assistance (Desmond 2012, Menjivar 2000, Smith 2007). In light of this, research must move beyond in depth case studies to compare relational effects across social groups. Our research asks 1) how types of relations impact social support and 2) how the effects of relational types vary by social position. Here we distinguish between the characteristics of relationships and the characteristics of individuals. In doing so, our research considers not only how one's soc...
SSRN Electronic Journal
This paper challenges implications from leading social movement theories of policy change by pres... more This paper challenges implications from leading social movement theories of policy change by presenting results that cast doubt on the benefits of having elite allies. Using event history techniques, we show that bill sponsors identified as strong allies of the environmental movement have a significantly lower chance of enacting pro-environmental legislation. Instead, successful legislators have environmental voting records closer to the median voter in Congress, are members of the dominant political party, and hold positions as chairs of environmental committees. While environmental lobbyist groups positively influence the passage of legislation, contrary to conventional wisdom, peaceful protest has no significant effect on legislative outcomes.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2000
This paper challenges implications from leading social movement theories of policy change by pres... more This paper challenges implications from leading social movement theories of policy change by presenting results that cast doubt on the benefits of having elite allies. Using event history techniques, we show that bill sponsors identified as strong allies of the environmental movement have a significantly lower chance of enacting pro-environmental legislation. Instead, successful legislators have environmental voting records closer to the median voter in Congress, are members of the dominant political party, and hold positions as chairs of environmental committees. While environmental lobbyist groups positively influence the passage of legislation, contrary to conventional wisdom, peaceful protest has no significant effect on legislative outcomes.
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2016: Vol. 63, Issue 1 by Marion Coddou
Papers by Marion Coddou