2005/07/01 by Melani Cammett · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Elite Sociology and Global Capitalism
paper · doi:10.2307/20072900
When and how do business people act collectively? This paper examines why manufacturers mobilized in Morocco but remained politically dormant in Tunisia in response to nearly identical incentives and challenges from global markets. New economic conditions created cleavages in the business class in both countries, but these cleavages were only politicized to the extent that producer groups mobilized. To explain why analogous groups mobilized collectively in Morocco but not in Tunisia, I argue that the ability to generate a cohesive class identity, which arose in response to perceived threats from other producer factions, was critical for successful business collective action. The findings call into question key assumptions in theories of collective action and introduce a new approach to studying globalization and domestic politics.