Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This Advanced Introduction is an accessible and critical review of the most important theories and concepts in the field of social movements and political protests. Karl-Dieter Opp precisely outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches and investigates how they can be unified into a structural-cognitive model. Key Features: Application of general action theory Investigation of the conditions for deterrence and concessions by autocracies Analysis of the influence of social networks and social media on protests and protesters Precise definitions of central concepts and clear formulation of explanatory hypotheses. This timely Advanced Introduction will be crucial reading for scholars interested in political participation, political protest, and social movements as well as those looking for an excellent introduction to this fascinating ever evolving area of study.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This Advanced Introduction is an accessible and critical review of the most important theories and concepts in the field of social movements and political protests. Karl-Dieter Opp precisely outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches and investigates how they can be unified into a structural-cognitive model. Key Features: Application of general action theory Investigation of the conditions for deterrence and concessions by autocracies Analysis of the influence of social networks and social media on protests and protesters Precise definitions of central concepts and clear formulation of explanatory hypotheses. This timely Advanced Introduction will be crucial reading for scholars interested in political participation, political protest, and social movements as well as those looking for an excellent introduction to this fascinating ever evolving area of study.

There are more than 20 theories that explain crime. Each theory has weaknesses, and no scholar knows which theory is best. To remedy this unsatisfactory situation a new research program of comparative theory testing is proposed. Comparing the theories with each other has not yet been successful. The alternative, suggested in this book, is to show how criminological theories must be modified if they are compared with a general behavioral theory. The book shows under which conditions the major criminological theories provide valid explanations of crime. The latter thus become integrated as parts of the general theory. The general theory that is chosen is a version of the theory of rational action. This is not the problematic version discussed in the literature, but states the real conditions of decision making and, thus, explains when people actually violate the law or remain law-abiding. The general theory is a component of a theoretical approach that explains individual behavior in interaction with societal (macro) conditions. This micro-macro approach is summarized in a proposed structural-cognitive model. This is part of the new program of Analytical Criminology. It suggests empirical theory comparison, process explanations, and micro-macro explanations. The book is not only written for readers who are interested in theories of crime and deviant behavior. It is also a treatise in "analytical" (i.e., rigorous) theory construction and empirical theory comparison.

This is the first book to present a synthesis of rational choice theory and sociological perspectives for the analysis of social institutions.The origin of social institutions is an old concern in social theory. Currently it has re-emerged as one of the most intensely debated issues in social science. Among economists and rational choice theorists, there is growing awareness that most, if not all, of the social outcomes that are of interest to explain are at least partly a function of institutional constraints. Yet the role of institutions is negligible both in general equilibrium theory and in most neoclassical economic models. There is a burgeoning substantive interest in institutions ranging from social movements, to formal organizations, to states, and even international regimes.Rational choice theorists have made great strides in elucidating the effects of institutions on a variety of social outcomes, but they have paid insufficient attention to the social dynamics that lead to the emergence of these institutions. Typically, these institutions have been assumed to be a given, rather than considered as outcomes requiring explanation in their own right. Sociological theorists, in contrast, have long appreciated the role of social structural constraints in the determination of outcomes but have neglected the role of individual agents.Michael Hechter is professor emeritus in the department of Sociology at the University of Washington. He is the author of numerous books. He became an Elected Fellow to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2004 and has been featured in Who's Who. He is also currently on editorial boards for a numerous amount of journals.Karl-Dieter Opp is professor of sociology at Univesitat Leipzig. He has been a Fellow of the European Academy of Sociology since 1999 and has been member of the Council and Treasurer since 2000. He is also current on the advisory board for the magazine Mind and Society.Reinhard Wippler is professor of theoretical sociology at the University of Utrecht and scientific director of the Interuniversity Center for Sociological Theory and Methodology.

The authors systematically apply rational choice theory in order to suggest hypotheses about political protest. They test these hypotheses by means of surveys and compare their rational choice hypotheses with competing hypotheses.

Political protest and social movements are ubiquitous phenomena. This book focuses on the current theoretical approaches that aim at explaining them: the theory of collective action, the resource mobilization perspective, political opportunity structure theory, the identity approach, the framing perspective, and the dynamics of contention approach. The book has three objectives: (1) Many basic concepts like political opportunities or identity are not clearly defined. It is further often a matter of interpretation what factors are supposed to affect which phenomena. The first aim is therefore to provide a detailed introduction to and a clear restatement of the theories. Only then is it possible to assess and improve them. (2) For each theory the major strengths and weaknesses are discussed, and various modifications and extensions are suggested. (3) Building on these analyses, it is shown how the theories can be integrated into a single theoretical paradigm: the structural-cognitive model.

Political protest and social movements are ubiquitous phenomena. This book focuses on the current theoretical approaches that aim at explaining them: the theory of collective action, the resource mobilization perspective, political opportunity structure theory, the identity approach, the framing perspective, and the dynamics of contention approach. The book has three objectives: (1) Many basic concepts like political opportunities or identity are not clearly defined. It is further often a matter of interpretation what factors are supposed to affect which phenomena. The first aim is therefore to provide a detailed introduction to and a clear restatement of the theories. Only then is it possible to assess and improve them. (2) For each theory the major strengths and weaknesses are discussed, and various modifications and extensions are suggested. (3) Building on these analyses, it is shown how the theories can be integrated into a single theoretical paradigm: the structural-cognitive model.

The authors systematically apply rational choice theory in order to suggest hypotheses about political protest. They test these hypotheses by means of surveys and compare their rational choice hypotheses with competing hypotheses.

This is the first book to present a synthesis of rational choice theory and sociological perspectives for the analysis of social institutions.

The origin of social institutions is an old concern in social theory. Currently it has re-emerged as one of the most intensely debated issues in social science. Among economists and rational choice theorists, there is growing awareness that most, if not all, of the social outcomes that are of interest to explain are at least partly a function of institutional constraints. Yet the role of institutions is negligible both in general equilibrium theory and in most neoclassical economic models. There is a burgeoning substantive interest in institutions ranging from social movements, to formal organizations, to states, and even international regimes.

Rational choice theorists have made great strides in elucidating the effects of institutions on a variety of social outcomes, but they have paid insufficient attention to the social dynamics that lead to the emergence of these institutions. Typically, these institutions have been assumed to be a given, rather than considered as outcomes requiring explanation in their own right. Sociological theorists, in contrast, have long appreciated the role of social structural constraints in the determination of outcomes but have neglected the role of individual agents.

"Michael Hechter" is professor emeritus in the department of Sociology at the University of Washington. He is the author of numerous books. He became an Elected Fellow to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2004 and has been featured in Who's Who. He is also currently on editorial boards for a numerous amount of journals.

"Karl-Dieter Opp" is professor of sociology at Univesitat Leipzig. He has been a Fellow of the European Academy of Sociology since 1999 and has been member of the Council and Treasurer since 2000. He is also current on the advisory board for the magazine "Mind and Society."

"Reinhard Wippler" is professor of theoretical sociology at the University of Utrecht and scientific director of the Interuniversity Center for Sociological Theory and Methodology.

Dieses Buch bietet eine elementare, kritische und leicht verstandliche Einfuhrung in die zentralen Probleme der Methodologie der Sozialwissenschaften. Dabei wird ein Einblick in die konkrete Arbeitsweise und die Probleme einer modernen empirisch-theoretischen Sozialwissenschaft gegeben."

Wie entstehen raumliche Identifikationen? Welche Auswirkungen haben sie auf andere Einstellungen und Verhalten? Das Buch bietet auf diese Fragen neue Antworten und uberpruft sie mit einer eigenen empirischen Untersuchung.

Die sozial wissenschaftliche Literatur uber den Verlauf und die Probleme des Einigungsprozesses ist kaum mehr zu uberblicken. Welche neuen Erkennt nisse kann in dieser Situation ein weiteres Buch uber den Einigungsprozess bringen? Hinsichtlich der soziologischen und politikwissenschaftlichen Lite ratur ist zweierlei auffallig: in den meisten Schriften werden Veranderungs prozesse beschrieben und nicht erklart. Zweitens ist auffallig, dass politisches Engagement kaum behandelt wird. Es gibt keine Studien, in denen die Ent wicklung politischen Engagements in Ostdeutschland nach dem Umbruc- evtl. sogar im Vergleich zu Westdeutschland - detailliert beschrieben, ge schweige denn erklart wird. Dies ist schon ein erstaunlicher Tatbestand: Wurde man nicht erwarten, dass nach einer erfolgreichen Revolution die Ent wicklung politischen Engagements ein zentraler Gegenstand der Trans formationsforschung wird? Die Literatur zum Vereinigungsprozess wird nicht nur von Sozialwissen schaftlern, sondern auch von Politikern, Journalisten, Intellektuellen (oder solchen, die sich dafur halten) und von fruheren Burgerrechtlern verfasst. Dies gilt etwa fur die Flut der Publikationen, die 1995, also funf Jahre nach der Vereinigung, erschienen sind. Es ist bemerkenswert, dass in dieser Litera tur die sozialwissenschaftliche Forschung fast vollstandig ignoriert wird. Ein Beispiel ist das von der renommierten Wochenzeitung "Die Zeit" 1995 ver triebene Heft "Zeitpunkte" mit dem Thema "Vereint, doch nicht eins. Deutschland funf Jahre nach der Wiedervereinigung. " Ein einziger Sozial wissenschaftier ist unter den Autoren vertreten."

Der Reaktorunfall in Tschernobyl am 26. April 1986 hat erneut zu umfassenden Protesten gegen die Nutzung der Atomenergie gefuhrt. Aufgrund des menschlichen Leids und der gesundheitlichen Schaden, die die Rektor-Katastrophe verursachte, erscheint eine Beschaftigung von Sozialwissenschaftlern mit dem Rektorunfall rela- tiv unwichtig. Dennoch bietet sich hier fur Soziologen eine interessante Moeglichkeit zu studieren, in welcher Weise Katastrophen wie Tschernobyl zu einer Mobilisierung von Protesten fuhren. Diese Frage steht im Mittelpunkt des vorliegenden Buches. Wir werden zunachst eine Reihe von Thesen entwickeln, die sich mit der Frage befassen, in welcher Weise Ereignisse wie der Reaktorunfall in Tschernobyl allge- mein politisches Engagement beeinflussen koennten. Diese Thesen werden wir mittels zweier Untersuchungen uberprufen. Im Jahre 1982 haben wir 398 Atomkraftgegner befragt. Ergebnisse dieser ersten Untersuchung wurden 1984 beim Westdeutschen Verlag publiziert (Opp u.a., Soziale Probleme und Protestverhalten). Im Jahre 1982 waren die Aktivitaten der Anti-Atomkraftbewegung stark zuruckgegangen. Von denjenigen, die sich bei der ersten Befragung bereit erklart hatten, sich spater wieder befragen zu lassen, konnten 121 Personen zwischen Januar und Marz 1987 erneut interviewt werden. Dies ist die zweite Untersuchung, die in diesem Buch analysiert wird. Es liegen also Daten von 121 Befragten vor, die sich auf die Situation vor und ca. 9 Monate nach dem Reaktorunfall in Tschernobyl beziehen. Diese beiden Unter- suchungen bieten eine aussergewoehnliche Moeglichkeit, den Wirkungen des Reaktor- unfalls nachzugehen und daruber hinaus in allgemeiner Weise die Determinanten politischen Protests zu untersuchen.

In den Sozialwissenschaften gibt es zwar eine Vielzahl von Theorien, die bean- spruchen, bestimmte Sachverhalte zu erklaren. Es kann jedoch nicht entschieden wer- den, welche dieser Theorien bessere Erklarungen leisten. Der Grund ist, daB Sozial- wissenschaftler nur selten versuchen, Theorien miteinander zu konfrontieren, und zwar auf der Grundlage empirischer Untersuchungsergebnisse. Mit anderen Worten: empiri- sche Theorienvergleiche werden nicht in ausreichendem MaBe vorgenommen. Um diesem Mangel abzuhelfen, haben einige Sozialwissenschaftler, insbesondere Soziologen, den Forschungsverbund "Vergleichende Theorientestung" gegrundet, der von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft gefOrdert wurde. Die Beitrage zu diesem Buch sind aus diesem Forschungsverbund entstanden. Es handelt sich hier unseres Wissens um den ersten umfassenden Versuch, einen empiri- schen Theorienvergleich in der Soziologie vorzunehmen. Aufgrund verschiedener Oberlegungen, die in Kapitel I im einzelnen dargelegt wer- den, erschien es sinnvoll, drei sozialwissenschaftliche Theorien fUr den Theorienver- gleich auszuwahlen. Hierzu gehoren erstens zwei allgemeine sozialwissenschaftliche Theorien, und zwar das sog. Modell rationalen Verhaltens (bzw. die Nutzentheorie) und eine kognitive Gleichgewichtstheorie (die Theorie mentaler Inkongruenzen). Ais soziolo- gische Theorie wurde eine sozialstrukturelle Gleichgewichtstheorie (die Theorie der Statusinkonsistenz in verschiedenen Versionen) ausgewahlt. Diese Theorien wurden in mehreren Forschungsprojekten miteinander empirisch konfrontiert. Die Forschungspro- jekte beziehen sich dabei auf unterschiedliche soziale Problembereiche. Der erste Teil des vorliegenden Buches befaBt sich mit der Idee, mit den Proble- men und den Vorteilen eines empirischen Theorienvergleichs. Weiter werden die Theo- rien, die miteinander konfrontiert werden, vorgestellt.