Title: Political opportunity - Wikipedia
Headings: Political opportunity
Political opportunity
Contents
Description
Comparison with political structure
Political mediation model
Criticism
Examples
See also
References
Sources

Content: "mobilizing",
"advancing particular claims rather than others",
"cultivating some alliances rather than others",
"employing particular political strategies and tactics rather than others", and
"affecting mainstream institutional politics and policy". A key advantage of the theory is that it explains why social movements emerge and/or increase their activity at a given time. When there are no political opportunities, simply having grievances (organizational consciousness) and resources is not enough. It is only when all three of these components are present that the movement has a chance to succeed. Comparison with political structure
Within the structure and agency debate, actions of activists (agents) can be understood only when they are seen in the broader context of political opportunities (structure). The term structure has been used to characterize political opportunities in older scholarship. A political opportunity structure has been defined as the circumstances surrounding a political landscape. However, Tarrow, who used the term in his earlier publications, now argues it is misleading, as most opportunities need to be perceived and are situational, not structural. Rather than just a political landscape, political opportunity structures can be described as a specific configuration of resources, institutional arrangements and historical precedent for social mobilizations. Political opportunity structures are prone to change and can alter in days or last for decades.