| dc.description.abstract | This dissertation investigates multiple pathways leading to the success or failure of eleven feminist policy reform campaigns that took place between 1993 and 2007 in South Korea. Empirically, the dissertation analyzes qualitative data that I collected during my fieldwork in South Korea between 2013 and 2015. Utilizing a qualitative comparative analysis method, I examine the strategic and environmental conditions that explain the success of seven feminist policy reform campaigns and the failure of the other four. My dissertation is organized into three analysis chapters. The first chapter examines how coalitions among different social movement organizations influence policy outcomes. My findings indicate that coalition characteristics, such as coalition size, form, and particularly the quality of its hub, greatly differ between successful and failed policy reform campaigns. The second chapter also analyzes movement strategy, particularly the role of activist framing strategies, strategies that are culturally tailored to resonate with the interests of the public as well as policymakers. In this study, I argue that frame qualities (e.g., frame articulateness and empirical credibility) work together to produce political success. Additionally, I show that non-verbal framing activities, such as strategic silence and broad identity deployment in framing, are as important as the verbal contents of frames in persuading policymakers. The third chapter investigates the interactive impact of women’s movement strategies and political contexts on policy reform, drawing on a political mediation model in social movement research. In this study, I argue that the political mediation model needs to be revised to reflect the shifting nature of political contexts and the involvement of opponents in policymaking. Moreover, my findings highlight the importance of a social movement’s strategies for policy change, which can even cause existing, unfavorable political contexts to favor the movement. | |
