The Internal Dynamics of Environmental Organizations: Movement Interest Groups, Communal Advocacy Groups, and the Policy Process

How do the diverse qualities that movement organizations bring to the policy process affect the representation of particular interests? This question is explored by analyzing environmental organizations across the national, state, and local levels of the American political system. This article suggests that two types of social movement organizations exist: movement interest groups and communal advocacy groups. While this article does not provide direct evidence of the different policy capabilities of the two types of movement organizations, existing research is drawn upon to consider how each type might fare in the policy process. One approach suggests that centralized organizations with incremental goals are better equipped to attain policy success, while the other stresses the need for active member involvement to engage in “disruptive” politics. To fully assess these divergent views, this article presents a broad review and analysis of the literature.