Social Movements and Collective Action (9B) Practice Test

In a historical labor campaign, textile workers in two towns face similar wage cuts. Town X has multiple unions, a local strike fund, and sympathetic clergy; Town Y has fragmented workplaces and no strike fund. Using resource mobilization theory, analysts predict that collective action is more likely when movements can marshal material and organizational resources.

Which outcome is most consistent with resource mobilization theory?

A contemporary tenant-union campaign in a large metro area seeks a citywide rent-stabilization ordinance. Organizers apply resource mobilization theory, emphasizing that collective action depends on access to money, organizations, and communication networks rather than grievance intensity alone. Neighborhood data show that high-rent-burden districts (spending >35% income on rent) are concentrated among immigrants and service workers, but the campaign’s early gains occur where existing community nonprofits and legal-aid clinics are dense.

Which change would most likely enhance the movement’s success, consistent with resource mobilization theory?