ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book explains how activists in under-represented groups can maximize their policy influence in industrialized democratic societies. It argues that there is no single organization that is universally optimal. The book suggests that the evidence was on the side of those who focused on interest group actions in the UK, and those who focused on party actions in France. It focuses heavily on environmental activism and so the final words are related to that issue. The biographical consequences of activism are likely to be different for each type of organization, with direct action, interest groups, and parties all leading individuals down different career paths. Parties attempt to capture the power of the state, interest groups attempt to redirect it, and direct action groups simply circumvent it.
