The forgotten protest dynamics: The politics of non-repressive state responses to mobilization

How do non-repressive state responses to a protest event affect future protest behaviour? And what are the psychological mechanisms driving these effects? While the repression–protest nexus has been extensively studied, the role of non-repressive responses, such as ignoring or accommodating dissent, remains underexplored. Challenging the prevailing assumption that these responses are inconsequential, this study argues that non-repressive state behaviours actively shape protest dynamics by influencing dissidents’ emotions, particularly anger and hope. To assess the relationship between non-repressive responses and future protest activity, this study conducted a survey experiment in Argentina. Findings reveal that ignoring decreases anger and hope, which, in turn, reduces the propensity to participate in future protests, while partial and full accommodation attenuates anger, which decreases the willingness to protest. These results highlight that non-repressive state responses have significant consequences for contentious politics.