See the introduction post to this series on Theories of Change (ToC) here. And part two on linear and systems thinking approaches to ToC. In this post, I will list several different approaches that are advocated by social movement participants and thinkers. The US union organiser and trainer Jane McAlevey identifies three 'options for change': … Continue reading Theories of Change – Part 3 Social Movements →

Read part 1 here. The international development expert Duncan Green, states that theories of change "locate a programme, project, or campaign within a wider analysis of how change comes about. They articulate and challenge our assumptions and acknowledge the influence of wider systems and actors." [1] He explains that the concept originated from two very … Continue reading Theories of Change – Part 2 Linear/systems thinking and strategy →

Theory or theories of change is a popular buzzword at the moment and it is also confusing as those that use it have different understandings of what it means. This is the first post in a series on theories of change (ToC). I'm going to briefly summarise the different ToCs that I think are important. … Continue reading Theories of Change – Part 1 Different Theories of Change →

Part one looked at Marxist and non-Marxist concepts of ideology, the challenges of defining ideology, ideology and the political spectrum, and the classical and new ideologies. Based on Political Ideologies: An Introduction by Andrew Heywood (4th edition from 2007) this post describes the classical ideologies of liberalism, conservatism, socialism, nationalism, anarchism, fascism, plus the new … Continue reading Political Ideology Part 2 →

Understanding political ideology is essential to then start thinking about theories of change, theories of power, revolutionary strategy and vision. We all have a political ideology, whether we realise it or not. Radicals refer to ideologies all the time but I think they are used vaguely without a clear frame of reference. I think it … Continue reading Political Ideology Part 1 →

This post will initially summarise the work of US radical labour union education centre Labor Notes. This will be followed by a survey of UK trade union networks and education centres. Finally, it will discuss similar projects to Labor Notes in the UK. Labor Notes is an education centre in the US focused on rebuilding … Continue reading Do we need something similar to Labor Notes in the UK? →