Final - Asia Module Flashcards
Explain the Collective action paradox
People participate in politics to bring
about public goods: (definition) once
produced, no individual belonging to a
polity can be excluded from enjoying
the consequences of having such
goods, regardless of whether or not
that individual has contributed to
their production (roads).
- The fact that most political
participation is about publics goods
bring about the Free-rider problem
explain selective incentives in small groups
Given the fact that people value the companionship and
respect of those in the group, small groups, which can censure
or ostracize those that fail to bear a share of the burdens of
collective action, have an additional important selective
incentive. (Olson 1965)
Explain selective incentives in organisational structures
Charles Tilly: All social movements tend to organise
themselves in order to structure the distribution of selective
incentives and to sustain participation.
* Different types of structure lead to different repertoires of
action.
Aside from small groups and orgaisational structures, what else is a selective incentive
social networks
give some repertoires of political participation
Conventional
Voting in elections
Joining or donating to political parties
Joining, supporting, or donating to interest groups
Contacting elected representatives
Signing petitions
Expressing opinions, debating, or mobilizing through social media
Volunteering in political campaigns or running elections
Organizing community campaigns
Attending political rallies or meetings
Wearing badges or displaying political signs or posters
Raising money for candidates, parties, or causes
Running for elected office
Less conventional/
unconventional
Taking part in peaceful demonstrations, protests, or walkouts
Organizing or taking part in consumer boycotts and buycotts
Illegal
Civil disobedience
Occupation of buildings or public spaces
Sabotaging the efforts of parties, candidates, or elected officials
Politically motivated crime
Political violence, including terrorism and assassination
Explain everyday forms of resistance
Everyday forms of resistance make no
headlines. But just as millions of
anthozoan polyps create, willy-nilly, a
coral reef, so do the multiple acts of
peasant insubordination and evasion
create political and economic barrier reefs
of their own.”
* Individual acts vs Popular Culture of
resistance
Explain political opportunity structures
Political opportunity structure: consistent - but not
necessarily formal; permanent or national -
dimensions of the political environment which either
encourage or discourage people from using
collective action
* For Tarrow, the collective action problem is social,
not individual.
* Dynamic of Movements: they create their own
dynamic as some groups make gains which lead
other to want more.
* The degree of openness of the political system is
key
Explain framing in the context of the Repertoires of political
participation in autocratic Asia
- Rightful resistance: legal and political
pressure, using the language of the
state - “Protest opportunism” (Chen Xi
2007):
hey all found ways of being troublesome, of mobilizing at a local level, of networking broadly with similar groups, and publicizing their grievances.
"For most of them, troublemaking constituted a necessary but not sufficient condition for success. Without any troublemaking activities, their demands were almost certain to be ignored. As the popular saying goes, 'Big troublemaking leads to big solutions, small troublemaking to small solutions, and no troublemaking to no solutio * “Big troublemaking leads to big solutions, small troublemaking to small solutions, and no troublemaking to no solution
The term “White Paper protests” comes from the demonstrators’ use of blank pieces of paper as a form of silent protest, which allowed them to avoid direct censorship or accusations of spreading illegal slogans while still expressing their dissatisfaction with the government’s policies
Explain alternative mobilisations in the context of repertoires of political participation in autocratic asia
Collective Contention
Individuals -> organizations -> coordinated collective contention
Mobilizing without the masses
Individuals -> orgaizations -> coordinated individual/small-scale contention
Individual Contention
Individuals -> No Organization -> non-coordinated individual contention
In the People’s Republic of China (PRC), one specific example of “Mobilizing Without the Masses” is the approach taken by informal labor organizations to assist migrant workers in attaining their legally guaranteed rights. These organizations, while not officially recognized as independent labor unions, operate under the radar to help workers confront state and corporate injustices individually or in small groups.
For instance, there was a case of a female worker from Sichuan who suffered severe injuries while working without protective gear at a small car manufacturer. When her employer refused to pay her work injury compensation as stipulated by labor law, she was coached by an informal labor organization to confront the state and her employer as an individual1. This strategic action allowed her to seek justice without triggering a mass protest or collective action that could have led to state repression.
This method of mobilizing is particularly effective in the PRC’s political environment, where large-scale protests are often met with strict government crackdowns. By focusing on individual or micro-collective actions, these organizations can navigate the delicate balance between advocating for workers’ rights and avoiding direct confrontation with the state
Explain coalitions and networks i the context of repertoires of politicail participation in autocratic asia
“Accountability Without Democracy” by Lily L. Tsai, which explores how these groups contribute to public goods provision in the absence of a democratic system.
Here’s a breakdown of the concepts presented in the image:
Coalitions and Networks: This refers to the formation of groups and alliances within the community that can influence the provision of public goods.
Expected Impact of Solidarity Groups in Rural China:
The table categorizes different types of solidarity groups such as village temples, village churches, village lineage associations, and subvillage lineages.
It assesses whether these groups are “Encompassing” (broadly inclusive) and “Embedding” (integrated into the community), and questions their effectiveness in improving the provision of public goods.
Findings:
According to the table, all the listed groups except for subvillage lineages are considered encompassing, meaning they potentially include a wide range of village members.
All groups are considered embedding, indicating they are well-integrated into the social fabric of the village.
However, the table questions whether these characteristics lead to good village governmental public goods provision, suggesting that the impact may not be straightforward or guaranteed.
The book cover on the right side of the image suggests that the presentation is likely drawing from Lily L. Tsai’s research, which examines how non-democratic accountability, through community-based and socially embedded groups, can influence government behavior and lead to better public services, even in the absence of democratic election
Explain state-led protests in the context of repertoires of political participation in autocratic asia
-mobilzing the public: a dobuel edged sword
-“red light, green light” vs puppets of the party state
-use protests to gain leverage
An example of a protest directly led by the state in China is the Anti-Japanese demonstrations in 2012. These were a series of protests that occurred across China over the territorial disputes concerning the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. The Chinese government permitted and sometimes even encouraged these protests, which included boycotting Japanese products and large-scale demonstrations outside Japanese embassies and consulates.
The state’s involvement was evident in the way the protests were organized and managed. The government used these protests as a means to assert China’s territorial claims and to rally nationalistic sentiment among the Chinese population. However, the authorities also ensured that the protests remained controlled and did not escalate into violence or anti-government sentiment.
This instance demonstrates how the Chinese state can mobilize public sentiment and organize large-scale demonstrations to further its foreign policy objectives while maintaining a tight grip on the execution of such events to prevent any potential backlash against the government itself.
use of digitial tools in autocratic asia
The image you’ve shared presents two main concepts related to the use of digital tools in political movements, specifically within the context of Thailand’s Yellow Shirts movement.
On the left side, we have a network visualization. This is a graphical representation of the relationships and interactions between individuals on social media platforms, in this case, Facebook. The visualization shows how commenters on the Facebook pages of two political figures, Suthep and Yingluck Shinawatra, are interconnected. Such visualizations are useful for understanding the structure and dynamics of online communities, including how information spreads and how influential certain users are within the network.
The right side of the image features a book cover titled “Opposing Democracy in the Digital Age: THE YELLOW SHIRTS IN THAILAND” by Aim Sinpeng. This suggests that the book explores how the Yellow Shirts movement, known for its opposition to Thaksin Shinawatra’s government, has utilized digital tools in its activities. The blurred sections on the cover may indicate sensitive content or simply be a stylistic choice for the book design.
Together, these elements highlight the growing importance of digital platforms in modern political discourse and activism. They also point to the complexities of political engagement in the digital age, where social media can be used both to organize grassroots movements and to manipulate public opinion. The Yellow Shirts movement’s use of digital tools is an example of how traditional forms of protest and activism are evolving in response to new technologies.
Explain transnational activism
Impact of Globalization on political participation
* Opportunities
* International forums as coordination
platforms to connect globally groups
isolated on the national stage.
* New frames, new repertoires.
* Challenges
* Distended networks and coordination
mechanisms
* Weaker transnational collective identities
