Gabriel Leon-Ablan - The Interaction of Structural Factors and

Journal article

Toke Aidt, Gabriel Leon-Ablan
British Journal of Political Science, vol. 52, 2022, pp. 869–885

DOI: 10.1017/S0007123420000873

Cite

APA Click to copy
Aidt, T., & Leon-Ablan, G. (2022). The Interaction of Structural Factors and Diffusion in Social Unrest: Evidence from the Swing Riots. British Journal of Political Science, 52, 869–885. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123420000873

Chicago/Turabian Click to copy
Aidt, Toke, and Gabriel Leon-Ablan. “The Interaction of Structural Factors and Diffusion in Social Unrest: Evidence from the Swing Riots.” British Journal of Political Science 52 (2022): 869–885.

MLA Click to copy
Aidt, Toke, and Gabriel Leon-Ablan. “The Interaction of Structural Factors and Diffusion in Social Unrest: Evidence from the Swing Riots.” British Journal of Political Science, vol. 52, 2022, pp. 869–85, doi:10.1017/S0007123420000873.

BibTeX Click to copy

@article{aidt2022a,
  title = {The Interaction of Structural Factors and Diffusion in Social Unrest: Evidence from the Swing Riots},
  year = {2022},
  journal = {British Journal of Political Science},
  pages = {869–885},
  volume = {52},
  doi = {10.1017/S0007123420000873},
  author = {Aidt, Toke and Leon-Ablan, Gabriel}
}

Abstract: Studies of the causes of social unrest typically focus on structural factors or diffusion. This article demonstrates the importance of considering their interaction and reveals a complex interplay between the two. This interaction is examined in the context of the English Swing riots of 1830–1831, in which it is possible to observe the structural factors relevant to each specific incident; this is often impossible when analyzing more recent cases of unrest. The authors find that the riots were triggered by economic factors and that diffusion more than tripled the direct effect of changes in local factors. Economic factors and the presence of potential riot leaders made an area more susceptible to the incoming diffusion of riots. The ways in which structural factors and diffusion interact is relevant to both historical and recent instances of social unrest.