Looking for the “nuts and bolts” of collective action: from resource mobilization to power strategies and resources
Keywords:
Unions, collective action, power resources, union revitalizationAbstract
In this article I aim to review the evolution of theories on collective action in order to assess their conceptual refinement and current heuristic potential. I try to show that the development of the last decades of the theory of resource mobilization, political process and union revitalization have refined a series of concepts useful for the analysis of collective action and broadened the observational base, and the recent synthesis of these approaches in the theory of power resources was formulated as a research program. In the article I present the different theories, evaluate the analytical refinement of their hypotheses and analyze the degree of consistency of the theory of power resources as a research program. The article is organized as follows: first, in the introduction, I present some epistemological discussions to support the criteria for analyzing the theories. Second, in the first section I analyze the advances in the theory of collective action with resource mobilization and its refinement in the theory of political process. Third, in the second section, I discuss the sophistication of the hypotheses of union revitalization, and reflect on power resources theory as a research agenda. Finally, in the conclusions, I review the findings of the article.
References
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Arnholtz, J., y Refslund B. (2024) Power resource theory for contemporary society: A research framework. In Arnholtz, J. and Refslund, B. (Edt.). Workers, Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Behrens, M., Hurd, R., y Waddington, J. (2004). How does restructuring contribute to union revitalization? In C. Frege & J. Kelly (Eds.), Varieties of unionism: Strategies for union revitalization in a globalizing economy (pp. 117-136). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Behrens, M., Hamann K., y Hurd R. (2004) Conceptualizing Labour Union Revitalization, In C. Frege & J. Kelly (Eds.), Varieties of unionism: Strategies for union revitalization in a globalizing economy (pp. 137-158). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Baccaro, L., Hamann, K., y Turner, L. (2003). The Politics of Labour Movement Revitalization: The Need for a Revitalized Perspective. In European Journal of Industrial Relations, 9(1), 119–133.
Chalmers, A., F. (1988). ¿Qué es esa cosa llamada ciencia? Siglo XXI Editores, Argentina.
Del Bono, A y Senén González, C. (2013). La revitalización sindical en Argentina: alcances y perspectivas. Universidad Nacional de La Matanza, Prometeo.
Denzin N., K. y Lincoln Y. (2012). Introducción. En Denzin N., K. y Lincoln Y. (coord.) · Manual de investigación cualitativa. Vol II. Paradigmas y perspectivas en disputa. Gedisa.
Fichter, M. y Greer, I. (2004). Analysing social partnership: A tool of union revitalization? In C. Frege and J. Kelly (Eds.), Varieties of unionism: Strategies for union revitalization in a globalizing economy (pp. 71-92). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Frege, C. & Kelly, J. (2003). Union revitalization strategies in comparative perspective. In European Journal of Industrial Relations Vol. 9 (1): 7–24.
Frege, C. Turner, L. Heery, E. J. (2004). The new solidarity? Trade Union coalition- building in five countries. In: Frege, C. and Kelly, J. (Eds.) Varieties of Unionism: Strategies for Union Revitalization in a Globalizing Economy, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 137-158.
Fairbrother, P. y Hammer, N. (2005) Global Unions: Past Efforts and Future Prospects. In Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations, Vol. 60, No. 3.
Fairbrother, P., Williams G., Barton, R., Gibellieri, E. y Tropeolil A. (2007). Unions Facing the Future: Questions and Possibilities. In Labor Studies Journal, vol. 31 no. 4, 2007, p. 31-53.
Flyvbjerg, B. (2011) Case Study. In Norman K. Denzin and Yvonna S. Lincoln, eds., The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, 4th Edition (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2011), Chapter 17, pp. 301-316.
Gates E. y Schwandt T. (2017) Case Study Methodology. In: N. K. Denzin and Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, 5th Edition (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2011).
Gotelli, A. (2024). Revisando el enfoque de revitalización: ¿Un programa de investigación para el estudio de sindicatos? En: Revista Etcétera (14):1-21.
Greer I. (2024) The structural power of workers under capitalism: A marketisation approach In Arnholtz, J. and Refslund, B. (Edt.). Workers, Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Haidar, J. y Senén González, C. (2009). Los debates acerca de la “revitalización sindical y su aplicación en el análisis sectorial en Argentina. En: Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios del Trabajo, N° 22, pp. 5-32.
Hammersley, M. (2023) Are There Assessment Criteria for Qualitative Findings? A Challenge Facing Mixed Methods Research. In Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research.
Kelly, J. (1998) Rethinking Industrial Relations: Mobilization, Collectivism and Long Waves. London: Routledge.
King G., Keohane R. y Verba S. (1994). Designing Social Inquiry. Princeton University Press.
Korpi, W. (1983). The democratic class struggle. Londres, Reino Unido: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
- (1985). Power Resources Approach vs. Action and Conflict: On Causal and Intentional Explanations in the Study of Power. In Sociological Theory, American Sociological Association. Vol. 3, No. 2 (Autumn, 1985), pp. 31-45.
Lakatos, I. (1978). La Metodología de los Programas de Investigación. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
Lenguita, Paula (2011). Revitalización desde las bases del sindicalismo argentino. En: Revista Nueva Sociedad. N.º 232, marzo-abril 2011, pp.137-149.
Lukes, S. (2005). Power: A Radical View. 2nd Edition, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
Lyhne Ibsen, C. (2024) Associational power resources: How organisational properties matter for the power of workers. In Arnholtz, J. and Refslund, B. (Edt.). Workers, Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
McAdam, D. (1982). Political process and the development of Black insurgency, 1930- 1970. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Micromobilization contexts and recruitment to activism. In International Social Movement Research (1) 125–154.
McAdam, D., S. Tarrow y C. Tilly (2001). The Dynamics of Contention, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
McCarthy, J. D., & Zald, M. N. (1977). Resource Mobilization and Social Movements: A Partial Theory. In: American Journal of Sociology, 82(6), 1212–1241.
McLaughlin C., y Wright C., F. (2024) Ideational power resources. In Arnholtz, J. and Refslund, B. (Edt.). Workers, Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Mouffe, C. y Laclau, E. (1985), Hegemonía y estrategia socialista. Hacia una radicalización de la democracia. Buenos Aires, Fondo de Cultura Económica.
Mundlak, G. (2020). Organizing matters: Two logics of trade union representation. ILERA, OIT
O 'Brady, S. (2024) Institutional power resources: A critical análisis. En: Workers, Power and Society. Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism. In Arnholtz, J. and Refslund, B. (Edt.). Workers, Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Oberschall, A. (1973). Social Conflict and Social Movements. Nueva Jersey, Estados Unidos: Prentice-Hall.
Olson, M. (1965). The logic of collective action. Cambridge, London, Harvard University Press.
Padrón A., y Wachendorfer A. (2017). Uruguay: caminos hacia la construcción de poder sindical. Revista Nueva Sociedad.
Quiñones Montoro, M. A. (2021). Cambios del sindicalismo en Uruguay: demandas de reconocimiento y nuevos repertorios de acción colectiva. En: Desacatos. Revista De Ciencias Sociales, (67), 140–155.
Ragin, C. (2007). La construcción de la investigación social. Universidad de Los Andes. Colombia. SAGE Publications.
Ratto Ribó, N. (2019). Estrategias sindicales y recursos de poder. presentación y prueba empírica de un marco para el análisis de las variedades sindicales en chile y en américa latina. En: Astrolabio, (23), 134–168.
k Recursos de poder sindicales y relaciones de clase. Elementos para una mirada de largo plazo de Argentina y México. En: Sociohistórica, 45, e101.
Senén Gonzales, C. (2021). Sindicatos y acción política en Argentina durante la era Cambiemos (2015-2019). En: Temas Sociológicos, vol. I p. 313 – 347. UCSH. Santiago de Chile.
Schmalz S, Dörre K (2014) Der Machtressourcenansatz: Ein Instrument zur Analyse gewerkschaftlichen Handlungsvermögens. Industrielle Beziehungen 21(3): 217–237.
Schmalz, S., y Thiel, M. (2017). IG Metall’s comeback: Trade union renewal in times of crisis. In Journal of Industrial Relations, 59(4), 465-486.
Schmalz, S. (2017). Los recursos de poder para la transformación sindical. Revista Nueva Sociedad.
Schmalz, S., Ludwig, C. y Webster, E. (2019). Power resources and global capitalism. In Global Labour Journal, 10(1), 84-91
Schwandt, T. A. (1998). Constructivist, interpretivist approaches to human inquiry. In N. K. Denzin, & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Landscape of Qualitative Research. SAGE Publishing.
Smelser, N. J. (1963). Theory of collective behavior. The Free Press of Glencoe.
Tattersall, A. (2024) Coalition power resources. Workers, Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism. In Arnholtz, J. and Refslund, B. (Edt.). Workers, Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Tilly, C. (1978) From Mobilization to Revolution. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Turner, L. y Hurd, R. (2001). Building Social Movemetn Unionism: The Transformation of the American Labor Movement, in Turner, L., Katz, H., y Hurd, R. (Eds.). Rekindling the movement: Labor's quest for relevance in the 21st century. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Arnholtz, J., y Refslund B (2024) Conclusión. Power resource theory: Where are we at, where should we go, and what challenges lay ahead?. In Arnholtz, J. and Refslund, B. (Edt.). Workers, Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Arnholtz, J., y Refslund B. (2024) Power resource theory for contemporary society: A research framework. In Arnholtz, J. and Refslund, B. (Edt.). Workers, Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Behrens, M., Hurd, R., y Waddington, J. (2004). How does restructuring contribute to union revitalization? In C. Frege & J. Kelly (Eds.), Varieties of unionism: Strategies for union revitalization in a globalizing economy (pp. 117-136). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Behrens, M., Hamann K., y Hurd R. (2004) Conceptualizing Labour Union Revitalization, In C. Frege & J. Kelly (Eds.), Varieties of unionism: Strategies for union revitalization in a globalizing economy (pp. 137-158). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Baccaro, L., Hamann, K., y Turner, L. (2003). The Politics of Labour Movement Revitalization: The Need for a Revitalized Perspective. In European Journal of Industrial Relations, 9(1), 119–133.
Chalmers, A., F. (1988). ¿Qué es esa cosa llamada ciencia? Siglo XXI Editores, Argentina.
Del Bono, A y Senén González, C. (2013). La revitalización sindical en Argentina: alcances y perspectivas. Universidad Nacional de La Matanza, Prometeo.
Denzin N., K. y Lincoln Y. (2012). Introducción. En Denzin N., K. y Lincoln Y. (coord.) · Manual de investigación cualitativa. Vol II. Paradigmas y perspectivas en disputa. Gedisa.
Fichter, M. y Greer, I. (2004). Analysing social partnership: A tool of union revitalization? In C. Frege and J. Kelly (Eds.), Varieties of unionism: Strategies for union revitalization in a globalizing economy (pp. 71-92). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Frege, C. & Kelly, J. (2003). Union revitalization strategies in comparative perspective. In European Journal of Industrial Relations Vol. 9 (1): 7–24.
Frege, C. Turner, L. Heery, E. J. (2004). The new solidarity? Trade Union coalition- building in five countries. In: Frege, C. and Kelly, J. (Eds.) Varieties of Unionism: Strategies for Union Revitalization in a Globalizing Economy, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 137-158.
Fairbrother, P. y Hammer, N. (2005) Global Unions: Past Efforts and Future Prospects. In Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations, Vol. 60, No. 3.
Fairbrother, P., Williams G., Barton, R., Gibellieri, E. y Tropeolil A. (2007). Unions Facing the Future: Questions and Possibilities. In Labor Studies Journal, vol. 31 no. 4, 2007, p. 31-53.
Flyvbjerg, B. (2011) Case Study. In Norman K. Denzin and Yvonna S. Lincoln, eds., The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, 4th Edition (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2011), Chapter 17, pp. 301-316.
Gates E. y Schwandt T. (2017) Case Study Methodology. In: N. K. Denzin and Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, 5th Edition (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2011).
Gotelli, A. (2024). Revisando el enfoque de revitalización: ¿Un programa de investigación para el estudio de sindicatos? En: Revista Etcétera (14):1-21.
Greer I. (2024) The structural power of workers under capitalism: A marketisation approach In Arnholtz, J. and Refslund, B. (Edt.). Workers, Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Haidar, J. y Senén González, C. (2009). Los debates acerca de la “revitalización sindical y su aplicación en el análisis sectorial en Argentina. En: Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios del Trabajo, N° 22, pp. 5-32.
Hammersley, M. (2023) Are There Assessment Criteria for Qualitative Findings? A Challenge Facing Mixed Methods Research. In Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research.
Kelly, J. (1998) Rethinking Industrial Relations: Mobilization, Collectivism and Long Waves. London: Routledge.
King G., Keohane R. y Verba S. (1994). Designing Social Inquiry. Princeton University Press.
Korpi, W. (1983). The democratic class struggle. Londres, Reino Unido: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
- (1985). Power Resources Approach vs. Action and Conflict: On Causal and Intentional Explanations in the Study of Power. In Sociological Theory, American Sociological Association. Vol. 3, No. 2 (Autumn, 1985), pp. 31-45.
Lakatos, I. (1978). La Metodología de los Programas de Investigación. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
Lenguita, Paula (2011). Revitalización desde las bases del sindicalismo argentino. En: Revista Nueva Sociedad. N.º 232, marzo-abril 2011, pp.137-149.
Lukes, S. (2005). Power: A Radical View. 2nd Edition, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
Lyhne Ibsen, C. (2024) Associational power resources: How organisational properties matter for the power of workers. In Arnholtz, J. and Refslund, B. (Edt.). Workers, Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
McAdam, D. (1982). Political process and the development of Black insurgency, 1930- 1970. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Micromobilization contexts and recruitment to activism. In International Social Movement Research (1) 125–154.
McAdam, D., S. Tarrow y C. Tilly (2001). The Dynamics of Contention, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
McCarthy, J. D., & Zald, M. N. (1977). Resource Mobilization and Social Movements: A Partial Theory. In: American Journal of Sociology, 82(6), 1212–1241.
McLaughlin C., y Wright C., F. (2024) Ideational power resources. In Arnholtz, J. and Refslund, B. (Edt.). Workers, Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Mouffe, C. y Laclau, E. (1985), Hegemonía y estrategia socialista. Hacia una radicalización de la democracia. Buenos Aires, Fondo de Cultura Económica.
Mundlak, G. (2020). Organizing matters: Two logics of trade union representation. ILERA, OIT
O 'Brady, S. (2024) Institutional power resources: A critical análisis. En: Workers, Power and Society. Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism. In Arnholtz, J. and Refslund, B. (Edt.). Workers, Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Oberschall, A. (1973). Social Conflict and Social Movements. Nueva Jersey, Estados Unidos: Prentice-Hall.
Olson, M. (1965). The logic of collective action. Cambridge, London, Harvard University Press.
Padrón A., y Wachendorfer A. (2017). Uruguay: caminos hacia la construcción de poder sindical. Revista Nueva Sociedad.
Quiñones Montoro, M. A. (2021). Cambios del sindicalismo en Uruguay: demandas de reconocimiento y nuevos repertorios de acción colectiva. En: Desacatos. Revista De Ciencias Sociales, (67), 140–155.
Ragin, C. (2007). La construcción de la investigación social. Universidad de Los Andes. Colombia. SAGE Publications.
Ratto Ribó, N. (2019). Estrategias sindicales y recursos de poder. presentación y prueba empírica de un marco para el análisis de las variedades sindicales en chile y en américa latina. En: Astrolabio, (23), 134–168.
k Recursos de poder sindicales y relaciones de clase. Elementos para una mirada de largo plazo de Argentina y México. En: Sociohistórica, 45, e101.
Senén Gonzales, C. (2021). Sindicatos y acción política en Argentina durante la era Cambiemos (2015-2019). En: Temas Sociológicos, vol. I p. 313 – 347. UCSH. Santiago de Chile.
Schmalz S, Dörre K (2014) Der Machtressourcenansatz: Ein Instrument zur Analyse gewerkschaftlichen Handlungsvermögens. Industrielle Beziehungen 21(3): 217–237.
Schmalz, S., y Thiel, M. (2017). IG Metall’s comeback: Trade union renewal in times of crisis. In Journal of Industrial Relations, 59(4), 465-486.
Schmalz, S. (2017). Los recursos de poder para la transformación sindical. Revista Nueva Sociedad.
Schmalz, S., Ludwig, C. y Webster, E. (2019). Power resources and global capitalism. In Global Labour Journal, 10(1), 84-91
Schwandt, T. A. (1998). Constructivist, interpretivist approaches to human inquiry. In N. K. Denzin, & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Landscape of Qualitative Research. SAGE Publishing.
Smelser, N. J. (1963). Theory of collective behavior. The Free Press of Glencoe.
Tattersall, A. (2024) Coalition power resources. Workers, Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism. In Arnholtz, J. and Refslund, B. (Edt.). Workers, Power resource theory in contemporary capitalism, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Tilly, C. (1978) From Mobilization to Revolution. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Turner, L. y Hurd, R. (2001). Building Social Movemetn Unionism: The Transformation of the American Labor Movement, in Turner, L., Katz, H., y Hurd, R. (Eds.). Rekindling the movement: Labor's quest for relevance in the 21st century. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
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2025-07-01
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Gotelli, Agustin. “Looking for the ‘nuts and bolts’ of Collective Action: From Resource Mobilization to Power Strategies and Resources”. Revueltas. Revista Chilena De Historia Social Popular, no. 11, July 2025, pp. 262-90, https://revistarevueltas.cl/index.php/revueltas/article/view/232.
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