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Abstract

The use of nonviolent tactics has become the most common way to achieve change. The field of civil resistance has been predominantly focussed on the dynamics related to the outcome, however, surprisingly little or no attention has been given to organisational structures that shape these dynamics. This paper will try to fill this research gap by combining insights from organisational science, social movement studies, and civil resistance literature. The research question that is posed is: What is the effect of the organisational structure on the outcome of civil resistance campaigns? Research from organisational sciences argues that organisational structures, forms of action, and type of goals mutually influence each other in a dynamic and on-going process. Drawn from prior research, a theoretical typology is introduced with different types of structures that affect critical factors that influence the outcome of civil resistance campaigns: mass mobilisation, loyalty shifts, tactical diversity, and resilience. The study showed that organisational structures affect the outcome of civil resistance campaigns in several ways. However, the main findings that were expected to be found did not yield significant evidence, as such the formulated hypothesis can ultimately be rejected. The results of the quantitative analysis show that the odds of success are 2.16 times larger in campaigns with formal organisational structures compared to informal structures, and the odds of success are 28.0 times larger in cases with centralised structures compared to clustered structures. Overall, centralised structures have the highest odds of success. This new insight has practical implications on how civil resistance campaigns should organise to achieve change and provides fertile ground for exciting new research and the answering of newly arisen questions.

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