Organizing Civil Resistance: Understanding the Effects and Dynamics of Organizational Structures on the Outcome of Civil Resistance Campaigns

Abstract

The use of nonviolent tactics has become the most common way to achieve change. The field of civil resistance has been predominantly focused on the dynamics related to the outcome, however, surprisingly little or no attention has been given to organizational structures that shape these dynamics. This paper will try to fill this research gap by combining insights from organizational science, social movement studies, and civil resistance literature. The research question that is posed is: What is the effect of the organizational structure on the outcome of civil resistance campaigns? Research from organizational sciences argues that organizational structures, forms of action, and type of goals mutually influence each other in a dynamic and ongoing process. Drawn from prior research, a theoretical typology is introduced with different types of structures that affect critical factors that influence the outcome of civil resistance campaigns: mass mobilization, loyalty shifts, tactical diversity, and resilience. The study showed that organizational structures affect the outcome of civil resistance campaigns in several ways. However, the main findings that were expected to be found did not yield significant evidence, as such the formulated hypothesis can ultimately be rejected. The results of the quantitative analysis show that the odds of success are 2.16 times larger in campaigns with formal organizational structures compared to informal structures, and the odds of success are 28.0 times larger in cases with centralized structures compared to clustered structures. Overall, centralized structures have the highest odds of success. This new insight has practical implications on how civil resistance campaigns should organize to achieve change and provides fertile ground for exciting new research and the answering of newly arisen questions.