This paper provides a theoretical analysis of civil society activism and development. In a one period static model, the Government of a backward region attempts to acquire land for a development project in exchange for compensation. Citizen-activists observe a noisy signal about the size of...

We study classist societies where the middle class fight over redistribution of public funds with the marginalized and over social policies with the elites. We show that such societies are often deprived of well-defined majoritarian preferences, underscoring the importance of the party system....

This paper argues that where institutions are strong, actors are more likely to participate in the political process through institutionalized arenas, while where they are weak, protests and other unconventional means of participation become more appealing. This relationship is explored...