ERIC Number: ED672371
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Nov
Pages: 78
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Overcoming the Protestor's Dilemma: How Teacher Strikes Demobilize Opponents. EdWorkingPaper No. 24-1074
Melissa Arnold Lyon; Leslie Finger; Hyesang Noh
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
The "Protestor's Dilemma" refers to the paradox faced by protestors where their disruptive actions, while necessary to gain public attention and support, could potentially provoke backlash and weaken the very support they seek to gain. How can protestors overcome this dilemma? Teacher strikes point toward a potential path forward. To examine how strikes impact political behavior, we use an original, hand-collected dataset of teacher strikes from 2007-2020, combined with voter turnout information. We use a differences-in-differences approach, finding that teacher strikes demobilize opponents (in this case, Republican voters). Notably, they do so without violence or long-running shutdowns that might countermobilize third parties. Such non-violent, short disruptions may provide a pathway to overcoming the protestor's dilemma.
Descriptors: Teacher Strikes, Voting, Political Attitudes, Parents, Citizen Participation, Elections
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Authoring Institution: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A