Author: Lynsy Smithson-Stanley

Key Question: What are the processes that undergird learning across organizations, people and relationships in advocacy networks? 

Research Products: 

• Dissertation: 

Description:

I isolate a particular part of a social movement network — elite program leaders, fundraisers and consultants who develop strategy — to examine how social movement actors collectively make sense of major political moments. I make the case that strategy derives in part from the narratives that cohere about "what happened" in prior inflection moments. But why do some stories stick to become lessons, and other interpretations fade away? I draw on in-depth interviews, IRS data and organizational content to trace the relational nature of learning and strategic development in the aftermath of a crucial moment for the U.S. climate movement: the failure to pass federal climate legislation in 2010.