How valuable is movement growth?

Abstract

Movement growth may be very important for young social movements. It’s obvious that movement building cannot be always better than direct work, but knowing how to compare them presents a challenge. In this article I introduce and explore a model of movement growth which tracks individuals’ awareness of and inclination towards the movement. I aim to understand when movement building activities are better or worse than direct work, and apply the model to give my views on movement growth in the effective altruist and related communities.