Definition
Grassroots communications is defined as the dissemination of information usually to the general public and is designed to motivate active participation in the political process to influence public opinion, policy, or regulation, or persuade elected and public officials in the pursuit of a particular outcome.
An array of persuasion, communications, and advocacy strategies are used to create predominantly politically focused communications that engage the general public or specific constituency groups in grassroots advocacy also known as citizen activism. While lobbying is usually regulated and performed by professionals, grassroots advocacy – outside of voting during elections – is the most basic level of political engagement and oftentimes among the most powerful.
A Notable Past and a Powerful Future
In recent years, several highly effective grassroots advocacy programs have evolved into powerful citizen activist movements – including Indivisible, Black Lives Matter, and the...
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References
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Walker, R.T. (2021). Grassroots Communication. In: Harris, P., Bitonti, A., Fleisher, C.S., Skorkjær Binderkrantz, A. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Interest Groups, Lobbying and Public Affairs . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13895-0_196-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13895-0_196-1
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