The regional groups Fridays for Future Berlin and Budapest – The influence of regime quality on the collective action

Abstract

As an important social movement in the fight against climate change, Fridays for Future (FFF) is characterised by the methods of collective action, as in addition to traditional mobilisation mechanisms (such as strikes), the movement also resorts to unusual instruments (such as flash mobs), whereby their use differs depending on the regional context. Based on seven theoretically motivated guided interviews with activists from two European regional groups – Berlin and Budapest – the question of which contexts influence the actions of FFF is investigated. Based on the interview data the divergent internal and external actions of the two regional groups can be attributed to the regime quality: FFF-Berlin can act through mechanisms of the political system due to the distinct quality of democracy in Germany. FFF-Budapest on the other hand generates influence primarily on an individual level due to the restrictions in the political system in Hungary in order to bring about ‘bottom-up’ change.