Opportunity structures
Encyclopedia
Opportunity Structures, in sociology
and related social science disciplines, are exogenous factors which limit or empower collective actors (social movements). In explaining the evolution of social movements, the structuralist approach emphasizes the that factors and external to the movements themselves, such as the level and type of state repression, or the group's access to political institutions, shape the development of the movement; such factors are called opportunity structures.
Doug McAdam summarizes at least four key dynamic components of the political opportunity structure:
Political opportunity structures can constrain or expand the field of collective action
in four ways:
1. they expand the group’s own opportunities;
2. they expand opportunities for others;
3. create opportunities for opponents
4. and create opportunities for elites
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and related social science disciplines, are exogenous factors which limit or empower collective actors (social movements). In explaining the evolution of social movements, the structuralist approach emphasizes the that factors and external to the movements themselves, such as the level and type of state repression, or the group's access to political institutions, shape the development of the movement; such factors are called opportunity structures.
Doug McAdam summarizes at least four key dynamic components of the political opportunity structure:
1. the relative openness or closure of the institutionalized political system;
2. the stability or instability of that broad set of elite alignments that typically undergird a polity;
3. the presence or absence of elite allies;
4. and the state’s capacity and propensity for repression.
Political opportunity structures can constrain or expand the field of collective action
Collective action
Collective action is the pursuit of a goal or set of goals by more than one person. It is a term which has formulations and theories in many areas of the social sciences.-In sociology:...
in four ways:
1. they expand the group’s own opportunities;
2. they expand opportunities for others;
3. create opportunities for opponents
4. and create opportunities for elites