Limitations of Social Movments Political Opportunity Structure

Political Opportunity Structure

• An environment that either constrains or enhances the ability of a non-governmental organization to operate.

Repressive Nations

• Put into place policies that constrain or hinder social movements from enacting change.

How repressive nations constrain social movements:

• Four methods:
  • Delegitimization
  • Legal Measures
  • Intimidation
  • Violence
• Democracy must be in a rule of law.

Delegitimization

• Social Movements = foreign agents, spies, extremists, intellectuals, or corrupt elites.
• Promote such an agenda with government-sponsored media outlets.

Legal Measures

• Laws that restrict freedom of speech and assembly.
• Laws that require social members to register with the government.
• Laws that require projects being funded by a social movement to be approved by the government.
• Anti-terrorism laws.

Intimidation

• Selective targeting of particular social movements for punishment.
• Arrests of key leaders.
• Arrest of family members.
• Arrest of journalists.

Violence

• Violence against protestors
• Torture
• Extra-judicial killings

To What End?

• “A repressive government can use its law-making powers to dull the sharp edge of social movement criticism.” - J. Clark (1991) in Democratizing Development: The Role of Voluntary Organizations