Group Formation Interest Groups Definition groups that have

Group Formation

Interest Groups • Definition: groups that have organized to promote a political agenda. • Do you think the system fair to all groups, or do some groups have a disproportionate say over public policy?

Groups: a theoretical perspective • Should people participate in a group whose existence benefits them? Will they? • Analogy of firms in a competitive industry • Analogy of the nation-state

What makes it easier to form a group? • Size • Homogeneity • Cost • Benefits

How do large groups form?

Selective incentives • A selective incentive (either negative or positive) applies selectively to individuals depending on whether or not they contribute to the provision of the collective good.

Types of selective incentives • Material • Solidary (social) • Expressive

Effects of selective incentives? • Power of the AARP and the NRA • Strong parties and voter turnout in the 19 th century

What kinds of interest groups will be more likely to form? How do these incentives affect the fairness and representativeness of the political system?

Pluralism • Groups can form freely • Any potential group can form if its interests are at stake • All groups’ interests will be represented • No one group will dominate all the time

If the free rider problem makes it more difficult for some groups to form and easier for other groups to form, does that affect whether the system will produce results that are fair to all?