When we think about changing our world through politics, education, social progress, and many more, we need people who want changes in our society or a group of positive people. If we take a step today to shape our world into a proper place, we will be able to achieve our common goals. Hence, understanding collective action will help us discover the power of unity, through which we can solve many social issues.
For example, in areas like public education, healthcare, and social and international movements, we can take collective action to support such social issues along with other public problems, environmental issues, and many more.
In this article, we will explore what collective action is based on.
1. What is Collective Action?
Collective action is action when a group of people and individuals join together to fight against social issues like education, environment, healthcare, and many more. Everyone wants freedom from injustice, inequality, gender discrimination, and, most importantly, violence against women.
Therefore, collective action comes into society so that everyone gets their rights and can be free from social issues.
Also, collective action has many types, they are:
1.1. Protest Movements in Collective Action
Protest movements include Indian farmer’s protests and civil protests.
1.1.1. Indian Farmers
Throughout the years, farmers have been doing a lot of work on farming and fulfilling their needs. Collective action can change their conditions so that they can earn more and also get some benefits.
In villages, there is no facility for the farmers, so the government should provide some services so that they can also take advantage of and become more aware of these services.
1.1.2. Civil Protest
When individuals and groups join together to raise voices over a commitment to nonviolence or other social issues, it can take many forms, including strikes, marches, and rallies. People strike out for a particular problem so that the government accepts their demands and brings about social reform.
1.2. Labor Unions
Similarly, the unity of workers is a labor union that advocates better working conditions and laborer rights. It is an important action from which labour unions can get better salaries, benefits, and job security. Also, labor should get some benefits like owning a house, a food facility, and many more that they need. Many unions provide training and skill development programs to do better jobs. Also, they should be offered career and educational opportunities.
1.3. Collective Society Groups
It refers to many organizations and groups that aim to achieve common objectives. It focuses on issues like civil rights changes, improving the environment, and helping healthcare action, etc. Participation in a collective society group is voluntary, and individuals can join these groups willingly. Similarly, membership is open to anyone who connects with the group’s Goal.
1.4. Community Organizations
Meanwhile, people from local areas can work together to solve local problems and create a community. They can conduct assessments that include needs, concerns, and priorities. They can also work together to find solutions to their problems instead of fighting with each other. It involves finding interesting community members who share common needs and issues. A central goal of a community organization is to empower individuals and groups within the community.
1.5. International Agreements
Likewise, the country has international agreements in collective action to talk over global missions like climate change.
1.5.1. Scope Agreements
These agreements cover a wide range of issues. For example, trade agreements and environmental changes. In these agreements, they add rights, obligations, and responsibilities to the involved parties. Our leaders should take care of the fact that the people are receiving appropriate rights. Legal work is very important in any of the fields, including in this one.
1.6. Identity Groups
This identity increases group unity and loyalty to the cause. When people come together, and their thoughts are met, unity will be between them. This unity creates a strong bond, and they can achieve their goals. We need more unity to change our world.
1.7. Some Other Forms of Collective Action
It includes financial support, knowledge, skill, time, and social capital, as well as support for the achievement of the goal. A decision should be made within collective action; it allows them to put their thoughts into action. Also, Individuals can keep each other accountable for commitment. Similarly, we can support other participants through friendship.
2. Foster Collective Action Occurs
Foster collective action happens when common people come forward to change social issues.
For example, factors driving and network.
2.1. Factors Driving
We can drive factors by connecting groups.
A clean environment is very important for our society, and shared interest can be a tool for this. Collective actions come up to change inequality and join together to address the rights over violence. Strong ties with social networks and NGOs can improve support and coordination. A good leader can motivate groups and connect with individuals to solve social issues. Also, Advanced technology is a platform where people connect and spread information. If we vote for a good politician, he can stand for us and come up with new ideas to change our world.
3. Historical Importance
Similarly, historical importance taught us how they changed social and common rights.
3.1. Civil Rights Movement
For example, The United States created a civil rights movement in the 20th century to reduce women’s violence. Accordingly, in 1950 and 1960, the movement emerged to change inequality and violence. Also, primary goals were set in some areas, like education, voting, and public demands.
3.2. Women’s Vote Movement
Women from many countries created a group to have the right to vote with the help of collective action. In each country, women should get their rights and respect, which they have achieved after much struggle. Women are equally capable and strong, and they should have equal rights, which was the prime agenda of these movements across the globe.
Similarly, this movement was raised during a period when women were not allowed voting rights. The goals are set to achieve women’s vote so that every woman can have the right to vote. Accordingly, in 1920, The United States granted women the right to vote.
3.3. Independence Movements
Many un-free nations joined together in collective actions to achieve independence. Leaders and citizens combined to raise self-determination. Colonization was tackled through the people’s independence movement in the colony countries, which ultimately led to the departure of colonizers from the nations and gave them independence.
4. Challenges and Barriers in Collective Action
4.1. Free Rider Problem
The free Rider problem is a concept where individuals can benefit from public goods or services. Accordingly, Free Rider is a ”Ride Free” where you can enjoy the advantages of public goods and services. Sensible people can become free riders because they can get benefits without paying any cost.
4.2. Coordination Difficulties
Coordinating a large group of people can be difficult when different thoughts are involved. It can sometimes lead to miscommunications and misunderstandings. Often, people might remain unaware of their role in the involvement. Ultimately, it might affect the public order and negatively impact the cause.
4.3. Discipline
Many governments may put down collective action, which is risky for individuals. Discipline is made so that no one can harmed. Sometimes, it would be risky for people who are joined together. For protection, we should follow the rules. To maintain discipline and public order in a country, the government can put restrictions on collective action through law and order.
Accordingly, we should follow the rules, guidelines, and values set by the collective action group and the government. The government makes these guidelines for our safety.
4.4. Resources Motive
Organizing resources like finance or humans can be a challenging barrier to collective action efforts. However, collective action in the long term can be a challenging effort, and differences of opinion may arise. We should keep this change for a longer period so that we can live life in peace.
5. The Impact of Collective Action
The impact of collective action is great on social movement. Many serious social changes were made through collective action, such as civil rights, LGBT rights, and gendered violence. It has also driven political and economic changes, from better wages and living conditions for laborers to establishing democracy in countries. International agreements support collective action on global issues, including climate change.
6. New Connection Society :
New Connection continuously improves social and political changes all over the world.
6.1. Climate Activism
Climate issues have driven large collective action and raised attention to decrease their environmental problems. It is mainly because climate is something that affects everyone globally, irrespective of differences among people. It ultimately is a group of resources that are essential for future generations. This is the reason why climate activism has mobilized a large number of people.
6.2. Online Activism Group
A group of people connect through digital platforms to support social issues and make their voices heard globally.
Digital Platforms are one of the most used by people. Everyone is active there, so we can share our problems utilizing this platform.
The world is getting more advanced day by day, but we have to use this technology well.
6.3. Social Justice Movement
Movements like #metoo have used the power of collective action to reduce inequality.
This movement was specially created for women. Women get abused by people, and they don’t get justice for it. We need more movements like this so that we can empower our women.
6.4. Global Health
COVID-19 is in collective action. To improve healthcare issues, the government and scientists have developed vaccines.
Our world has faced the most dangerous disease in which a lakhs or we can say a crore of people have lost their families.
The situation was out of control, but our governments have done a great job saving everyone’s life.
7. Interests in Collective Action
Conflicting interests happen when individuals or groups face ambitious motivations.
7.1. Public Goods and Services
In the context of public goods, such as clean air, national defense, and public parks, individuals may have conflicting interests. People have their own choices; someone wants to go for the army, and someone for anything else. Public goods should be provided according to people’s interests.
7.2. Environmental Issues
Climate change and other environmental issues may vary in collective action.
Why our world is not free from environmental issues? Because everyone is doing their work, no one is thinking about the world.
If we make some changes, we can save water, reduce noise pollution, and many other things to save our world.
7.3. Labor Unions
Labor unions may have different interests and needs, and maintaining these interests can be tough for labor unions.
8. Rational Choice Theory in Collective Action
Rational choice theory is used in social science and politics.
Rational theory motivates an individual’s aim to maximize utility, resulting in their well-being and satisfaction. Costs may include time and effort, and benefits may consist of personal benefits and receiving public goods. Rational choice allows individuals to participate in collective action based on their interests and beliefs. It is applied to many collective actions, including voting behavior and the provision of public goods.
Applications are nothing but requests for their needs. If a person wants the right to vote, then he can apply for it. If a person wants to enjoy public service, he can also apply for that service. For example, people get rations from the government before applying for a ration card.
9. Social Identity Model in Collective Action
It is used to understand how social identity is convenient and encourages individuals to connect in collective action. Social identity is based on individual identification, such as race, nationality, and gender. The social identity model starts with the idea of categorizing themselves into a social group. They organize people into different groups. People identify with a group; their self-confidence increases that group’s success.
It shows the identity of a person who wants to join a group. People compare their group with others; this may lead to confidence and enhance their status in their group. People can add more skills so that they can win the race.
The success and failure of collective action can give the individual a social identity. People can be more motivated when they have fellow support in collective action; it shows the social identity of a group. It means if one person in a group is doing positive work, then others can be motivated.
10. Harvard University Press in Collective Action
Harvard University offers publishing services relevant to researchers and authors who write about collective action. Harvard University Press is known for high-quality publishing books on researching collective action. It is the process of credibility for authors who study the field of collective action. This service helps to reach academic audiences and potential readers who are interested in collective action. This is simply called promoting services to needy people. If they get services, then they will be able to receive benefits from the government. Press-designed digital publishing by providing E-books that can add research on collective action. HUP’s Publication extends to the United States, helping the global diffusion of collective action.
11. Social Psychology in Collective Action
Social Psychology explains many forms of collective action, including motivation, group behavior, and the success and failure of collective action.
Henri Tajfel and John Turner underlined the group identity of collective action. Accordingly, social psychology is the thought of a group as an ingroup and other groups as an outgroup.
12. Human Captial
Human capital plays an important role in collective action efforts. It requires knowledge, skills, and experts to solve social issues. However, good leaders with strong human capital motivate people to make changes in our world. Leadership skills are very important. If the leader is not doing well, then people can not go ahead. People always follow their leader for a better future. Good communication skills can send a collective group’s message to the public. Also, legal expertise is needed to understand and find legal issues.
13. Logic of Collective Action
In 1965, Mancur Olson wrote the book ”Logic of Collective Action.”
He explained the challenges and acts of collective action.
In this, he explained how individuals were facing problems and then they found a solution that they can make a group where they can add their thoughts and ideas so that they can solve the common issues.
Also, he added a ‘‘Free rider Problem” in his book, noting that everyone has to get the benefits without paying or contributing.
Likewise, he added ” Selective Incentives.” his point was to incentivize those actively participating.
14. Cambridge University Press in Collective Action
It is an Academic Publishing university where many books are published and translated into collective action. They have also written many books on social changes, a clean world, and improvement in education. They have covered many topics that motivate people to come forward to achieve common objectives. Cambridge University played an important role in Collective Action. When people read books, they get more motivated. We need more universities and writers who can encourage people to change our world.
However, we have seen many examples of collective action, including social, environmental, labor, farmers, civil rights, and many more. Whenever we think about changing the world, we should remember these examples so that we can take a step. In today’s world, everyone is facing many problems, whether it is related to education or women’s rights. If we take a step, we can join together or form groups, and then we can create many examples. So, this upcoming generation can learn and follow the steps to achieve common goals. Everyone should take a stand for their rights and connect with the groups who are going to change our world.
Russell Spears is known for his social psychological research on collective action. He has conducted many social events in some areas where he convinced people to join together. Spears told people not to make decisions with feelings. His point was that helping each other can motivate them to reach their goals. Russell also addressed the importance of leaders who can inspire people toward their missions. Finally, he researched behaviors and how people can motivated to connect with collective actions and get benefits that will be helpful for others.
In addition, the collective theory is about social issues, progress, and improvement in our world. The theory concludes with historical changes that were made before and how they created a clean world. People read theory, but they do not take any action until it is ready to be done.
15. Wrapping it Up
In this article, we have seen how collective action can change our world with a group of people who want to change our Society and think positively to make our world into a new shape. With this, we can solve many issues like social, environmental, education, and healthcare so that everyone’s life is comfortable.
This article has explained that if we change our world, some challenges and barriers can happen, but we must face them to achieve our collective action.
Historical movements also taught us how we can maintain this collective action for the long term and human rights. One person cannot change our world; we need more people and groups who can join together to solve and come forward with social issues. In today’s world, everyone is using digital apps so we can raise or spread information through social media; by doing this, everyone gets their rights, and they also help each other to change social issues.
So, we should go forward with this collective action and make a power of unity and commitment from individuals to continue to make our changes worldwide.
Last Updated on by Arnab