Community‐based protest against construction projects : The social determinants of protest movement continuity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the social forces that shape perceptions of risk and sustain community‐based protest against controversial construction projects. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses a thematic story‐telling approach which draws on ethnographic method and theories relating to social contagion, group dynamics and collective action. Findings – The paper shows how collective action against projects is maintained by a high degree of interconnectivity and relational multiplexity between participating individuals and groups. Other determinants of movement continuity include the protective role of hidden social networks, overlapping protest group memberships, the plurality of protest issues faced and the quality and nature of social ties, experiences and emotions that link activists in collective action over the protest movement's lifetime. Research limitations/implications – This research extends existing research in protest mobalisation in the social and political domain into the area of protest continuity against controversial projects. Practical implications – Mismanaged community concerns about controversial projects can escalate into long‐term and sometimes acrimonious protest stand‐offs that have negative implications for the community, firms involved and for industries as a whole. The findings of this paper can help project managers avoid this. Originality/value – This paper will be of value to project managers involved in managing community perceptions of risk on controversial projects within or outside the construction industry. It explains for the first time how perceptions of risk about major projects are shaped in communities and provides recommendations about how best to communicate with communities to prevent conflict.