Premium
Triggers for protest: Modelling responses to the political context in Britain, 2000–2002
Author(s) -
HEATH OLIVER
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
european journal of political research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.267
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1475-6765
pISSN - 0304-4130
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-6765.2007.00770.x
Subject(s) - politics , action (physics) , context (archaeology) , phenomenon , positive economics , sociology , dynamics (music) , empirical research , rational choice theory (criminology) , epistemology , political economy , political science , economics , criminology , law , history , pedagogy , philosophy , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics
Abstract. Failing to take into account the impact of the political context on protest has serious empirical and theoretical implications for our understanding of the phenomenon. First, it means that protest is conceptualised in rather general terms, and second, accounts of why people participate are therefore somewhat static, emphasising factors that predispose people to protest over more dynamic factors that stimulate protest. This undermines theoretical explanations of action based on rational choice and privileges more sociological accounts of behaviour. By adopting a novel methodological approach and analysing change over time, this article sheds light on the factors that ‘trigger’ protest. In doing so, it shows that the dynamics of protest can be expressed successfully within a rational choice framework.