Value-added theory was first proposed by Neil Smelser

Neil Smelser

Neil Joseph Smelser is an emeritus professor of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. He was an active researcher from 1958 to 1994. His research has been on collective behavior....

 and is based on the assumption that certain conditions are needed for the development of a social movement

Social movement

Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change....

. Smelser saw social movements as side-effects of rapid social change

Social change

Social change refers to an alteration in the social order of a society. It may refer to the notion of social progress or sociocultural evolution, the philosophical idea that society moves forward by dialectical or evolutionary means. It may refer to a paradigmatic change in the socio-economic...

.

Smelser argued that six things were necessary and sufficient for collective behavior

Collective behavior

The expression collective behaviour was first used by Robert E. Park, and employed definitively by Herbert Blumer, to refer to social processes and events which do not reflect existing social structure , but which emerge in a "spontaneous" way.Collective behavior might also be defined as action...

 to emerge, and that social movement evolves through those relevant stages:

• Structural conduciveness - the structure of the society (e.g. spatial proximity)must be such that certain protest actions become more likely. People must be aware of the problem and have the opportunity to act.
• Structural strain - there must be a strain on society, caused by factors related to the structure of the current social system, such as inequality or injustice, and existing power holders are unable (or unwilling) to address the problem (see also relative deprivation
  Relative deprivation
  Relative deprivation is the experience of being deprived of something to which one believes oneself to be entitled to have. It refers to the discontent people feel when they compare their positions to others and realize that they have less than them....
  
  ).
• Generalized belief - the problem should be clearly defined in a way that is agreed by and understood by the participants. See also: framing.
• Precipitating factors - events that become the proverbial spark igniting the flame, in other words a political opportunity
  Political opportunity
  Political opportunity theory, sometimes also known as the political process theory or political opportunity structure, is a theory of social movements heavily influenced by political sociology...
  
  .
• Mobilization for action - people need to have a network and organization allowing them to take a 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:...
  
  , see also resource mobilization
  Resource mobilization
  Resource mobilization is a major sociological theory in the study of social movements which emerged in the 1970s. It stresses the ability of movement's members to 1) acquire resources and to 2) mobilize people towards accomplishing the movement's goals...
  
  
• Operation (failure) of social control - how the authorities react (or don't). High level of social control
  Social control
  Social control refers generally to societal and political mechanisms or processes that regulate individual and group behavior, leading to conformity and compliance to the rules of a given society, state, or social group. Many mechanisms of social control are cross-cultural, if only in the control...
  
   by the those in control of power (politicians, police) often makes it more difficult for social movement to act.

The concept of value added

Value added

In economics, the difference between the sale price and the production cost of a product is the value added per unit. Summing value added per unit over all units sold is total value added. Total value added is equivalent to Revenue less Outside Purchases...

 was used earlier in the economics

Economics

Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

, where it refers to the increasing value of product in progressing stages of production.

Critics of this theory note that it is too focused on the structural-functional approach

Structural functionalism

Structural functionalism is a broad perspective in sociology and anthropology which sets out to interpret society as a structure with interrelated parts. Functionalism addresses society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements; namely norms, customs, traditions and institutions...

 and views all strains on society as disruptive.

Further reading

• Neil J. Smelser, Theory of collective behavior, various, 1962