THE STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS OF MOVEMENT PARTICIPATION

We develop a dynamic network model of collective action that explains how collective action can arise in the absence of selective incentives or disincentives from the voluntary action of rational actors in larg e groups. We show that the search for balance in social interaction am ong interdependent actors can yield a cascade of activism and result i n a successful social movement. The characteristics of actors critical for movement success are identified. We also explore the structural c onditions underlying a successful cascade of activism and thus identif y the social dynamics of and the structural conditions for collective action in human society.