Table of Contents

Contents

Acknowledgments

Part I: Activism in Political Science

Portrait of an Activist

Two Scholarly Portraits of Activists

Politics as Displacement: The Psychological Needs Approach

Politics as Value Maximization: Instrumental-to-Self Approaches

Conclusion: Activism, Morality, and Politics

Part II: Involvement Stories

Introduction

Involvement Stories

Three Themes in Involvement Stories

Conclusion: Involvement Stories as Moral Tales

Part III: Politics, Purposes, and the Incentive Theory of Groups

The Troubled Concept of Purposive Incentives (Revisited)

Lobbyists’ Moral Justifications and Purposive Incentives

Conclusion: Politics and Purposive Incentives

Part IV: Identity as the Basis for Activism

Introduction

Morality as Altruism: The Antirational-Choice Approach in Contemporary Social Science

Beyond Altruism: Suggestions from Activists

Beyond Self-Interest Versus Altruism: Identity Construction as the Moral Basis of Activism

Self-Interest, Altruism, and the Concept of a Moral Consideration

Contents

Methodology Appendix

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Nathan Teske has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. He works for Catholic Charities in Oregon.

Reviews

"What emerges is an important supplement to the results of studies of participation based on national surveys, a sensitive and nuanced portrait of the citizen as an issue activist, and a much richer understanding of the way that purposive incentives, often dismissed by students of collective action, can mix inextricably altruistic and self-regarding concerns." - Kay Lehman Schlozman, The Journal of Politics "Political Activists in America points social scientists toward an important research agenda that has somehow slipped through the cracks between political theory, political psychology, and political behavior. Teske's sensitive and sensible account of political activism effectively urges our discipline to reintegrate thinking about morality and political reasoning with political behavior." - David S. Meyer, Social Science Quarterly"