Social Movements and American Political Institutions

This volume combines chapters by a distinguished group of social movement scholars, from both sociology and political science, who use perspectives ranging from political process theory to rational choice and collective action approaches to evaluate the functioning of institutions of American government and the public policies that they produce. A diverse group of movements and interests are featured: women, public interest, native America, the environment, the Christian Right, abortion, gay rights, and homelessness among them.

Social movements in the United States are important political actors because of their scale and duration, their generation of new ideas and understandings of existing problems, their ability to mobilize those who were previously passive citizens, and the impetus they provide for restructuring and broadening the agenda of American politics. This volume combines chapters by a distinguished group of social movement scholars, from both sociology and political science, who use perspectives ranging from political process theory to rational choice and collective action approaches to evaluate the functioning of institutions of American government and the public policies that they produce. A diverse group of movements and interests are featured: women, public interest, native America, the environment, the Christian Right, abortion, gay rights, and homelessness among them.

Chapter 1 Introduction
Part 2 Theories of American Politics and Social Movements
Chapter 3 Social Movements and Theories of American Politics
Chapter 4 "The Very Excess of Democracy": State Building and Contentious Politics in America
Chapter 5 Interest Organizations and the Study of Democratic Politics
Part 6 Mobilization
Chapter 7 Mobilizing Gay Activists
Chapter 8 Mobilization at the Margins: Organizing by the Homeless
Chapter 9 Use of the Initiative Process by Woman Suffrage Movements
Part 10 Parties and Elections
Chapter 11 Less than Conquerors: The Christian Right in State Republican Parties
Chapter 12 Citizen Groups, Political Parties, and Electoral Coalitions
Part 13 The Presidency and Congress
Chapter 14 American Social Movements and Presidential Administrations
Chapter 15 Women Lobby Congress
Chapter 16 The Environmental Movement and Congress
Part 17 Social Movements in Court
Chapter 18 Social Movements and the Mobilization of Law
Chapter 19 Litigation as Rebellion
Chapter 20 Social Movements and Abortion Law
Part 21 Conclusions
Chapter 22 On the International Origins of Domestic Political Opportunities
Chapter 23 Where Have All the Foils Gone? Competing Theories of Social Movements
Chapter 24 Conclusions