
Researching social movements to understand their impact. You can also find us at @socchangelab.bsky.social
UK
Joined September 2023
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Social Change Lab retweeted
Some recent @Philanthropy pieces dig into debates about disruptive protest. They mirror a dynamic I see all the time in animal advocacy.
Grassroots activists often over-index on certain tactics, often being drawn to the aesthetics of protest. At the same time, some funders and big orgs are overly fearful of direct conflict or disruption.
But protest is just a tool. So is lobbying, litigation, storytelling, dialogue, and everything else. None are inherently good or bad. Each has strengths and tradeoffs.
The goal isn’t to speak truth to power or find consensus for its own sake. The goal is to win. That means being strategic, flexible, and open to a wide range of tactics. An apparatus needs to exist to capture grassroots energy and convert it into policy change, and pressure is almost always required to push change over the finish line.
Funders and activists alike should stay focused on outcomes. I’m glad to have @navigationfund supporting a very wide range of organizations and tactics!
Social Change Lab retweeted
Can disruptive protests shift political preferences?
Markus Ostarek & Sam Nadel @SocChangeLab show that disruptive #ClimateProtests in Europe by organisations like #JustStopOil do measurably shift political preferences towards pro-climate parties @fp2p
blogs.lse.ac.uk/activism-inf…
Social Change Lab retweeted
New article from @grist which covers a new academic review paper on climate protest and features our work at @SocChangeLab on the radical flank effect!
Social Change Lab retweeted
Last week, we co-hosted an event with @LSEInequalities on 'Democracy and the Right to Protest in the UK'.
We were joined by @PascaleFraze, Dr @__RichardMartin, and @SamNadel as speakers and Dr George Kunnath as chair.
Missed it? Watch the event here: youtube.com/watch?v=rdLtNvFe…
Social Change Lab retweeted
🚨 BREAKING: WE'RE HANGING UP THE HI VIS
🦺 3 years ago we appeared in a blaze of orange. At the end of April, we'll be hanging up the hi vis.
🛢️ Our original demand of no new oil and gas is now government policy. We've kept over 4.4 billion barrels of oil in the ground.
🔥 A new resistance will be coming. Join us for the final Just Stop Oil action in Parliament Square, April 26th.
Social Change Lab retweeted
Campaigners and activists play an essential role in democratic societies, yet funders are often hesitant to support them. This research uncovers why.
faunalytics.org/barriers-to-…
Social Change Lab retweeted
Several EU states are coming down hard on environmental groups like Last Generation. Lawyers and human rights groups say over-prosecution violates fundamental rights. This has weakened these social movements, denying them the “ability to credibly claim they are speaking on behalf of the majority," says @SocChangeLab’s @SamNadel. bit.ly/43lxNeu
Social Change Lab retweeted
🚀 Bold action gets results
New research into Animal Rising and @JustStop_Oil shows that disruptive protest leads to more press, more funding, and more momentum
🆕 New Research! How does the logic of a protest—how intuitively an action relates to a movement's goals—affect the amount of support and media attention groups receive? A 🧵1/5
📖 Read the full report here:
drive.google.com/file/d/1VLe…
#SocialMovements
Social Change Lab retweeted
🪧 – Want to change the world but don't know where to start? @jrf_uk and @SocChangeLab's Activist Resource Hub has you covered!
It brings together all of the practical tools you'll need to secure social change – as well as lots of inspirational stories ⤵️
activists-resource-hub.com/
Social Change Lab retweeted
📢 – Really vital research from @SocChangeLab into funder attitudes towards campaigning
So many of our rights were won by campaigners yet they remain underfunded – to change that, we need to understand why that is
Read the summary and full report here ⤵️ bit.ly/3Y8cTMW
Social Change Lab retweeted
Summary of the great research, and link to the full report, here: socialchangelab.org/post/cam…
Social Change Lab retweeted
My colleague @CathyJaneRogers also conducted 10 in-depth interviews which revealed some great quotes, so I highly recommend checking out her summary in full (linked further below)
“The board would not approve anything which the Daily Mail could take issue with.” 👀
Social Change Lab retweeted
What would make funders likely to give more? Apparently, convincing evidence that it works (hello! this is @SocChangeLab) as well as reassurance and advice that activism can fall within their charitable purpose.
Social Change Lab retweeted
3. The second main reason for not funding campaigning or activism was "My board would not approve it / like it".
IMO, this is a pretty damning review of foundation boards. Do they really not believe in the role of campaigning in social change or is it something else?
Social Change Lab retweeted
1. There is a somewhat amusing difference in the likelihood of funding when using different terminology.
Interestingly, terms with the word 'activist' seem to be particularly off-putting.
Social Change Lab retweeted
Social Change Lab (@SocChangeLab) surveyed 100 charitable funders to better understand the philanthropic landscape when it came to funding campaigning, social movements and activism.
What did we find? A brief thread 🧵
Social Change Lab retweeted
🦺Exc: Hefty Just Stop Oil sentences 'set a terrible example to the rest of the world' says UN special rapporteur @Ginitastar
61% of public think too harsh: @SocChangeLab
Don't work as deterrent - expect 'renewed and radical' disruption: @bdmabrams
bigissue.com/news/activism/j…
Social Change Lab retweeted
Great threat from Laura discussing the likely impacts of @JustStop_Oil's recent action at Stonehenge featuring some of our research from @SocChangeLab!
Great to bring some empirical data into this often emotional debate.
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Social Change Lab retweeted
Why do some climate activists continue to provoke the public with symbolic (not real) destruction of cultural heritage? And why does it elicit such an extreme response? @alxaraya & I have a paper about that (soon to be published in the journal Protest).
#stonehenge #JustStopOil
There has been a spate of climate protests in art galleries in recent years. In a new paper, @alxaraya & I consider why activists are drawn to these spaces, and what makes these protests so provocative.
osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/v2…
Social Change Lab retweeted
I don't have a big take on JSO's Stonehenge action but I did make an hour long podcast about their strategy last year
Interviewed supporters and critics alike, like @IndigoRumbelow @Chris_Saltmarsh @Eco_Ty and scientists like Timothy Lenton
novaramedia.com/2023/10/25/n…





















