A comparative analysis of collective action frames in Nosamo and the Tea Party
| Author | Matthew David Jenkins,Jaedong Choi,Shyam Sriram |
| Published date | 01 September 2017 |
| Date | 01 September 2017 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/2057891115626811 |
| Subject Matter | Research articles |
Research article
A comparative analysis of
collective action frames in
Nosamo and the Tea Party
Matthew David Jenkins, Shyam Sriram and Jaedong Choi
Department of Political Science, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara,
CA, USA
Abstract
Classical collective action theories assume that successful political movements must have an
organization and the ability to mobilize supporters in support of a common goal. Yet the unpre-
cedented achievements of networked political movements have led scholars to reconsider these
assumptions. South Korea’s Nosamo and the Tea Party Movement are unique among networked
political movements in that they were aimed at electing specific political candidates. The ability of
these two movements successfully to bypass party orthodoxy without a traditional organizational
apparatus has bolstered optimism about participatory democracy. However, while both of these
movements began as free-flowing horizontal networks, each developed a hierarchical organiza-
tional structure. We examine how the development of an organizational structure affected each
group’s dominant frame, comparing structures and outcomes in the two cases. In particular, we
find out whether there are differences in each group’s ability to affect a unified presence by
examining group documents and news coverage. Our results suggest that a cohesive collective
action frame is possible without formal organizations, though there may be other requirements
that might obtain only under certain circumstances, somewhat weakening prospects for partici-
patory democracy.
Keywords
connective action, frame, organizations, Korea, Nosamo, Tea Party
A previous version of this article was pr esented at the 11
th
Annual California Graduate Student Conference at the
University of California, Irvine.
Corresponding author:
Matthew David Jenki ns, Department of Poli tical Science, Univ ersity of Californi a at Santa Barbara, Sant a Barbara,
CA 93106, USA.
Email: mdjenkins@umail.ucsb.edu
Asian Journal of Comparative Politics
2017, Vol. 2(3) 293–307
ªThe Author(s) 2016
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DOI: 10.1177/2057891115626811
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