Bridging the gap between emotion and strategy: a study of change in the relationship between national campaigning organisations and their networks of local groups

This paper is a study of changing national / local relationships within UK campaigning organisations. It is grounded in a conceptual framework embracing resource exchange, political interaction and change theory as benchmarks for a research investigation. A case study of the Amnesty International UK Section (AIUK) is at the heart of the paper, demonstrating that whilst change has occurred the organisational value of a national / local partnership remains vitally important. The four key aspects of change that the research discovers illuminate how national campaigning organisations have evolved since their inception during the post-war era, and the study concludes by proposing a hypothesis to explain that lifetime change.