Mobilization is the movement and synchronization of ideas, people or resources for a specific social goal. As a collective phenomenon, mobilization requires communication and social interaction in order to occur and potentially to be effective. Organizations that mobilize on behalf of a cause can be viewed in network terms as nodes connected by hyperlinks. This characterization allows for an examination of how central or influential organizations are to a mobilization network, and which organizations are most essential to the continued existence of a network. This dissertation integrates mobilization theory with theory and methods of social network analysis to provide a case study of an international mobilization network devoted to Small Island Developing States (SIDS). SIDS are island nations particularly vulnerable to global climate change, and in particular, to rising ocean levels that threaten their water supplies, food sources, community structure, and traditional way of life. Through an analysis of hyperlinks serving as connections among the labyrinth of organizations working with SIDS, this dissertation has two specific goals: first, to better understand the structural dynamics of the global SIDS network, and second to identify the most active and influential groups within the mobilization effort.
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