Jon Agnone

Invited chapter in edited volume on environment movements. Our chapter (30) examines the policy and legislative outcomes of environmental movements. Part one focuses on the broad outcomes environmental movements pursue, both in terms of substantive policy change and routinized access to political systems. Part two applies a staged model of the policy-making process to elaborate the ways in which environmental movements influence legislation: setting agendas, influencing the content of laws, the… Show more

Invited chapter in edited volume on environment movements. Our chapter (30) examines the policy and legislative outcomes of environmental movements. Part one focuses on the broad outcomes environmental movements pursue, both in terms of substantive policy change and routinized access to political systems. Part two applies a staged model of the policy-making process to elaborate the ways in which environmental movements influence legislation: setting agendas, influencing the content of laws, the passage of legislation, and its implementation. Part three examines the ways in which environmental movements seek to exert influence: by building organizational capacity, conducting disruptive protest, and participating in governance structures. We advance the thesis that diversity in movement composition and tactics provides numerous advantages that further the goals of environmental movements. The final piece of the chapter examines the case of climate change legislation in the United States, which we see as poised for change in the near future. Show less

Agricultural landownership in Japan has changed drastically over the last century due to post‐World War II land reforms and cultural, political, and economic shifts in the subsequent decades. Initial land reform shifted the concentrated ownership of land from the wealthy to small‐scale farmers. But as Japan industrialized and became more urban‐centered, a substantial amount of rural land has been left abandoned or unmanaged by descendants of those farmers. This paper analyzes the attitudes of… Show more

Agricultural landownership in Japan has changed drastically over the last century due to post‐World War II land reforms and cultural, political, and economic shifts in the subsequent decades. Initial land reform shifted the concentrated ownership of land from the wealthy to small‐scale farmers. But as Japan industrialized and became more urban‐centered, a substantial amount of rural land has been left abandoned or unmanaged by descendants of those farmers. This paper analyzes the attitudes of absentee agricultural landowners in Japan to better understand the prevalence of economically rational versus traditional attitudes toward land ownership. We draw on the rural sociological literature on place attachment to hypothesize why some absentee landowners feel a strong tie to the land of their ancestors, while others would be willing to sell for a reasonable price. We use unique survey data obtained from 466 absentee agricultural landowners in Japan. Logistic regression results indicate that attachment to place, gender, age, educational attainment, and usage of land is significant predictors of whether landowners hold traditional, rather than economic, values. We discuss the implications of these findings for the future of sustainable agricultural land management in Japan. Show less

We know a great deal about the ways in which routines of news coverage may bias newspaper content, but little about how different article retrieval practices influence newspaper data assembled by scholars. Using the New York Times as a source of data on social movement activity, we compare depictions of protest by the African-American Civil Rights movement over time produced using the two most common article retrieval methods: index versus full-story coding. Full-story coding clearly offers… Show more

We know a great deal about the ways in which routines of news coverage may bias newspaper content, but little about how different article retrieval practices influence newspaper data assembled by scholars. Using the New York Times as a source of data on social movement activity, we compare depictions of protest by the African-American Civil Rights movement over time produced using the two most common article retrieval methods: index versus full-story coding. Full-story coding clearly offers more depth and greater breadth in terms of the events identified. Moreover, many of the same event characteristics associated with selection bias in newspaper reporting (e.g., size and confrontational nature of a protest event, presence of counter-demonstrators or police, and event sponsorship by a recognized social movement organization) are selected upon again when stories are indexed by New York Times staff. Show less

I was a member of the report development team. This report focuses on the current status of educational outcomes for Latinos in Washington, highlighting opportunities for improvement and areas of concern where gaps in outcomes exist.

This report examines whether, and if so how, King County’s four largest airports—King County
International Airport/Boeing Field, Renton Municipal Airport, Auburn Municipal Airport, and
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport—can work together to support the aerospace industry
through the formation of a regional airport consortium. Collectively, these four airports account
for 66 percent of the total number of Washington’s airport-generated jobs and 53 percent of the
total… Show more

This report examines whether, and if so how, King County’s four largest airports—King County
International Airport/Boeing Field, Renton Municipal Airport, Auburn Municipal Airport, and
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport—can work together to support the aerospace industry
through the formation of a regional airport consortium. Collectively, these four airports account
for 66 percent of the total number of Washington’s airport-generated jobs and 53 percent of the
total statewide economic output attributable to individual airport activity. After surveying the airports and their industry support (current and potential), as well as reviewing other airport cooperation arrangements, this report recommends a cautious approach to the formation of a King County airport consortium, whereby discussions with individual airport officials are followed by group meetings in order to mitigate future roadblocks through careful foresight. The planning work can be facilitated by utilizing the prior relationships formed between the airports in their work with the Puget Sound Regional Council. Show less

This research is a follow-up to SJI’s 2012 report, "Changes in Entry-Level Jobs over the Past Decade." In a survey of 85 employers – and in follow-up interviews – we asked the following key questions:
-How do employers define “entry-level” at their businesses?
-What hourly wages are employers currently paying their entry-level workers?
-What level of education is required for most entry-level positions at local businesses?
-Is there a difference between job requirements and actual… Show more

This research is a follow-up to SJI’s 2012 report, "Changes in Entry-Level Jobs over the Past Decade." In a survey of 85 employers – and in follow-up interviews – we asked the following key questions:
-How do employers define “entry-level” at their businesses?
-What hourly wages are employers currently paying their entry-level workers?
-What level of education is required for most entry-level positions at local businesses?
-Is there a difference between job requirements and actual educational attainment of incumbent workers within entry-level positions? If so, is this difference economy-driven and cyclical, or systemic?
-What is the comparative value of degrees, certificates and job experience in employers’ hiring decisions for entry-level positions?
-What additional factors give applicants for entry-level positions an edge in getting hired? Show less

Jointly produced by the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board and the State Board for Community & Technical Colleges, this report defines aerospace and related industries, identifies programs of study whose graduates are hired by this industry and estimates, based on an employer survey, that job growth might be greater than national economic models currently suggest.

This invited chapter for the Commission on Hispanic Affairs Assessment Report focused on Hispanic labor force performance at present and projected forward over the next decade and beyond where data allowed. This chapter identified opportunities for improving the labor force experience among Hispanics in Washington in light of the projected increase in labor force participation rates through 2030. As of 2010 in Washington, Hispanics have the lowest median annual earnings among race and ethnic… Show more

This invited chapter for the Commission on Hispanic Affairs Assessment Report focused on Hispanic labor force performance at present and projected forward over the next decade and beyond where data allowed. This chapter identified opportunities for improving the labor force experience among Hispanics in Washington in light of the projected increase in labor force participation rates through 2030. As of 2010 in Washington, Hispanics have the lowest median annual earnings among race and ethnic groups, have lower levels of educational attainment, and higher rates of unemployment than does the general population. While Hispanics are generally working in occupations projected to expand over the next decade, these positions disproportionately pay less than occupations with lower levels of Hispanic workforce participation. Additionally, Hispanics generally experience lower wages by occupation than does the overall population. Show less

Chapter on the history of trade (labor) unions in the United States.

This research defines “entry-level jobs” and examines whether skill requirements for entry-level occupations in four key sectors — Professional/Business Services, Logistics, Healthcare, and Manufacturing — have changed over the past decade in the Seattle/King County region.

This study builds on political mediation and movement infrastructure models to
highlight contingent and synergistic ways in which social movements may impinge
upon the U.S. national policy-making process. Analyses employ a variety of datasets
to examine the role of environmental movement organizational capacity, protest and
institutional activity in garnering Gongressional attention to, and action on, salient
issues from 1961 through 1990. We find all types of… Show more

This study builds on political mediation and movement infrastructure models to
highlight contingent and synergistic ways in which social movements may impinge
upon the U.S. national policy-making process. Analyses employ a variety of datasets
to examine the role of environmental movement organizational capacity, protest and
institutional activity in garnering Gongressional attention to, and action on, salient
issues from 1961 through 1990. We find all types of movement activity, but especially
the development of national organizational infrastructures, to be positively associated
with the convening of Gongressional hearings on the environment. Only when there
are high levels oí both protest and institutional activity is there any evidence that the
environmental movement direcdy influences the passage of environmental laws. Show less

This chapter explores recent foundation involvement in the fields of women’s and civil rights, two sectors of activity linked historically to highly mobilized and socially significant political movements.

There is an understudied relationship between union contracts, economics, and politics. This
paper provides an historical investigation into the relationship between International Longshore
and Warehouse Union (ILWU) contracts, economics, and politics, at both the state and national
levels, from the union’s formation in 1937 through 2008.

Invited review of an edited volume that is a part of a series linked to the
World Bank’s Social Development Strategy, the goal of which is to empower people by making institutions more inclusive, responsive and accountable.

Trade union leaders serve dual, seemingly contradictory roles. They must command militant organizations in conflicts with employers. Simultaneously, they must be accountable and democratically responsive to their members. Few unions possess the institutions or leadership to accomplish both. This article analyzes the practices of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), in which effective contract negotiation (including leadership during strikes) and an
informed, active… Show more

Trade union leaders serve dual, seemingly contradictory roles. They must command militant organizations in conflicts with employers. Simultaneously, they must be accountable and democratically responsive to their members. Few unions possess the institutions or leadership to accomplish both. This article analyzes the practices of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), in which effective contract negotiation (including leadership during strikes) and an
informed, active rank-and-file democracy are mutually supportive. We offer an alternative to standard accounts of union democracy. While the claims are based on a detailed case study, the theoretical model and its insights hold for labor unions and organizations more broadly. Show less

Academic observers of contemporary American politics tend to portray the political sector as characterized by little variation in the options for citizen-based action, represented by professional advocacy organizations that provide few avenues for meaningful civic involvement. This article challenges this dominant imagery and examines how much variety exists in the organizational models available for citizen voice at the national level in the United States and how the observed models are linked… Show more

Academic observers of contemporary American politics tend to portray the political sector as characterized by little variation in the options for citizen-based action, represented by professional advocacy organizations that provide few avenues for meaningful civic involvement. This article challenges this dominant imagery and examines how much variety exists in the organizational models available for citizen voice at the national level in the United States and how the observed models are linked to the goals, strategies, and claims advanced by a diverse set of national advocacy groups. Analysis of a sample of Washington, DC-based political organizations identified
five distinct models of organizing that differ significantly in terms of their structural characteristics and their association with the goals and activities that animate collective action at the national level in the United States. Show less

Coauthor of major report, commissioned by Women’s Funding Alliance (WFA) on the status of women & girls in the Puget Sound area.

Time-series data from 1960-1998 is used to test hypotheses regarding the impact of protest and public opinion on the passage of U.S. environmental legislation. An amplification model of policy impact is introduced which posits that protest affects legislative action independent of public opinion as suggested by protest event theorists, whereas the impact of public opinion on legislative action is greater depending on the level of protest. Evidence is found for the existence of an… Show more

Time-series data from 1960-1998 is used to test hypotheses regarding the impact of protest and public opinion on the passage of U.S. environmental legislation. An amplification model of policy impact is introduced which posits that protest affects legislative action independent of public opinion as suggested by protest event theorists, whereas the impact of public opinion on legislative action is greater depending on the level of protest. Evidence is found for the existence of an
amplification mechanism between environmental movement protest and public opinion, where public opinion affects policy above and beyond its independent effect when protest raises the salience of the issue to legislators. These fi ndings point to the need to restructure analyses of the impact of social movements on public policy. Show less

An annual time-series approach is used to examine the frequency of African-American protest in the United States from 1948 to 1997. Evidence of expanding opportunities created by divided government, strong northern Democratic Party allies, and, during the 1950s, Republican presidential incumbents responding to Cold War foreign policy constraints is found. African-American
congressional representation provides routine political access, which reduces protest. The evidence also supports… Show more

An annual time-series approach is used to examine the frequency of African-American protest in the United States from 1948 to 1997. Evidence of expanding opportunities created by divided government, strong northern Democratic Party allies, and, during the 1950s, Republican presidential incumbents responding to Cold War foreign policy constraints is found. African-American
congressional representation provides routine political access, which reduces protest. The evidence also supports explanations based on collective grievances stemming from black/white income inequality, Vietnam War deaths, and low-to-middle black unemployment.

This article has also been reprinted in Readings on Social Movements: Origins, Dynamics, and Outcomes, Doug McAdam and David Snow, eds, Oxford University Press (2009) Show less