WAS IT WORTH THE EFFORT - THE OUTCOMES AND CONSEQUENCES OF SOCIAL-MOVEMENTS

Research on social movements has usually addressed issues of movement emergence and mobilization, yet has paid less attention to their outco mes and consequences. Although there exists a considerable amount of w ork on this aspect, little systematic research has been done so far. M ost existing work focuses on political and policy outcomes of movement s, whereas few studies address their broader cultural and institutiona l effects. Furthermore, we still know little about the indirect and un intended consequences produced by movements. Early studies have dealt with the effectiveness of disruptive and violent actions and with the role of several organizational variables for movement success. More re cently, scholars have begun to analyze movement outcomes in their poli tical context by looking at the role of public opinion, allies, and st ate structures. A comparative perspective promises to be a fruitful av enue of research in this regard.