Local Politics 2 - Public Sector Unions

Interest Groups

a non-governmental organization that acts collectively to achieve some shared goal

interest groups solve collective action problems for people/groups with shared preferences

Collective Action Problems

when everyone would benefit from a costly action, people free ride

Public Sector Unions

a powerful type of interest group active in local politics

overcome collective action problems by delegating to leaders, collective bargaining, and mandatory participation

have the ability to elect their bosses and the people they negotiate with

Policy Feedback

policies have winners and losers; it can make the winners better equipped to defend their wind in the future