The Virtue of Comparison: On Times, Places, Issues, and Activities

I argue that social movement scholars should conduct more comparative research. Comparison is needed to decide whether findings are unique for a specific movement, typical for a country, or vary over time, places, issues, and activities. The focal question of my work has always been, Why do some people participate in collective action while others do not? The answer to that question differs at different points in time, in different societies, and for different issues and activities. The question is why? We need comparative studies to answer that question. A short theoretical exposé presents the conceptual core of the research to be presented. The remainder of the article provides a review of a number of studies with various comparative designs. Movements exist in diverging contexts, as the studies presented illustrate. Comparative designs are rare in the field of social movement studies. I close the essay with a call for standardization. Without standardization we will not be able to experience the virtue of comparison.