Abstract
The ability of citizens to petition elected officials for the purpose of redressing grievances are essential tenets to any functioning democracy. This research focuses on examining the divergent political outcomes of the Taxed Enough Already (TEA) Party and the Occupy Wall Street movement. The research seeks to understand why was one able to produce viable political candidates and gain considerable influence over the American political system, while the other withered away into the history of American politics. The researcher emphasizes different aspects of grassroots politics including framing, organizational structure, and resource mobilization. The research is conducted as a qualitative empirical study and examines how each social movement framed their core demands, their organizational structure, and how each organization utilized its resources. The research found that the TEA Party effectively integrated images and symbols that are highly salient in the movement’s culture. Additionally, the TEA party was able to frame their demands in a way that could be translated into concrete legislative policies. Conversely, the Occupy movement coded their demands in language that ran contrary to the establishment and its institutional arrangement. Thus, the ‘TEA Party’ model has become a template for grassroots movements, while the ‘Occupy Movement’ is more successful in countries that have different relationships between the state and its institutions.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. G. Nelson Bass
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-8-2016 1:00 PM
End Date
4-8-2016 5:30 PM
Defining Success: Developing an Effective Grassroots Mobilization Strategy
Alvin Sherman Library
The ability of citizens to petition elected officials for the purpose of redressing grievances are essential tenets to any functioning democracy. This research focuses on examining the divergent political outcomes of the Taxed Enough Already (TEA) Party and the Occupy Wall Street movement. The research seeks to understand why was one able to produce viable political candidates and gain considerable influence over the American political system, while the other withered away into the history of American politics. The researcher emphasizes different aspects of grassroots politics including framing, organizational structure, and resource mobilization. The research is conducted as a qualitative empirical study and examines how each social movement framed their core demands, their organizational structure, and how each organization utilized its resources. The research found that the TEA Party effectively integrated images and symbols that are highly salient in the movement’s culture. Additionally, the TEA party was able to frame their demands in a way that could be translated into concrete legislative policies. Conversely, the Occupy movement coded their demands in language that ran contrary to the establishment and its institutional arrangement. Thus, the ‘TEA Party’ model has become a template for grassroots movements, while the ‘Occupy Movement’ is more successful in countries that have different relationships between the state and its institutions.
