This is an award under the Grants for Improving Dissertation Research Program. This study is concerned with the environmental movement's bases of action, composition, and organizational character. It appraises competing theories of social movements--grievance-based, resource mobilization, and identity-based. The research is based on face to face interviews and a mailed survey, and survey results will be compared to a similar study conducted in 1979. %%% The research will contribute to sociological understanding of social movements and to the factors leading to continuity and change in the environmental movement. It will be useful to formulating policies designed to encourage citizen participation in efforts to protect the environment. In addition to the scientific gains to be achieved by the research, this award will materially assist a highly promising student in completing research for the Ph.D. dissertation. Thus it contributes to the future scientific manpower of the nation and the thorough training of the next generation of social scientists.
