9412302 STAEHELI This research project will examine the ways that political activism has been affected by the increase in flexible employment that has accompanied economic restructuring in the United States. The initial premise is that flexible employment (i.e., part-time work, off-shift work, temporary contracts, self-employment, and work undertaken at one's home) and the concomitant changes in wage levels, job security, and time availability lead to re- evaluations of the potential for political activism. The household and the broad range of financial and interpersonal resources it encompasses is the context in which decisions about activism are made. The local political structure and perceptions about the local political structure are crucial intervening factors that also affect decisions regarding political activism. Trends in employment and activism therefore will be examined in four different cities using a two-stage research strategy. The first stage will involve the construction of narratives that set the structural context of economic restructuring. The second stage will involve extensive telephone surveys in which household members reconstruct their employment and political histories. This stage also will involve intensive in-person interviews with political activists. The telephone surveys will provide baseline information regarding the nature of employment restructuring, political activities, and household adjustment strategies, while the intensive interviews will focus on the ways that work, politics, household, and local context are interconnected. Political activism is a crucial element for maintaining and strengthening democratic institutions. This research project will add to theories related to restructuring, the state, and citizenship, and it will provide valuable new insights about the ways that economic change affects the form and character of local democracy. The results of the study therefore will have significant theoretic al and practical implications for understanding and improving democratization processes.
