Collaborative methods in social movement organizing : a case study of long-term alliance development and energy efficiency planning in Massachusetts

Some social movement organizations have begun to use collaborative methods to create decentralized network power for shared action through long-term alliance development and participation in collaborative public decision-making forums. Through the history of Community Labor United (CLU), a Boston-based long-term community-labor alliance, I establish the existence of mutual benefits between organizing and collaborative methods for creating solutions to complex problems. The prerequisites for the application of collaborative methods--diversity of interests, interdependence of interests, and authentic dialogue (DIAD)--are used to describe CLU's application of collaborative methods to the development of their alliance and their participation in statewide energy efficiency planning and implementation. I conclude by providing recommendations for the co-application of social movement organizing and collaborative planning practices to energy efficiency planning and complex public policy issues more generally.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2010

Author dc:creator

• Mackres, Eric Benjamin

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Lorlene Hoyt.

• Urban Studies and Planning.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/59577

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/59577