Interest Groups (Bara pp. 235-261)

Defining Interest Groups

Interest groups are organizations that seeks to influence government policy; do not formally become part of the apparatus of political parties or the state

• part of civil society

Civil society

refers to those actors that lie between the purely ‘private’ realm of

individuals and companies operating in the marketplace; and ‘state-centered’ realm of political parties and government departments

Defining Interest Groups

Interest groups are organizations that seeks to influence government policy; do not formally become part of the apparatus of political parties or the state

• part of civil society

Civil society

refers to those actors that lie between the purely ‘private’ realm of

individuals and companies operating in the marketplace; and ‘state-centered’ realm of political parties and government departments

Economic Interest Groups vs Sectional Interest Groups

➢Economic interest group is to speak of a group that is focused on predominantly material or pecuniary interests

➢Sectional group is often used synonymously with economic interests because interest are to large degree ‘exclusive’

Cause Groups/Attitude Groups

➢Cause or attitude groups from economic or sectional interests pertains to the lack of

common, objective characteristics, which differs it from economic or sectional interests

○Cause groups are organisations lobbying for a set of values or attitudes rather that the interests of a particular segment of society

■ Ex. pro- and anti-abortion interest groups, environmental movements, animal rights, and peace campaigners

Interest Groups as ‘ideal types’

• Economic or sectional groups and cause or attitude based groups is an example of what

  political scientists refer to as ‘ideal typical’ analysis

  ○Ideal type is the purest possible form of any given phenomena

Ideal typical economic interest group

where the membership is

decided solely by some underlying economic characteristics common to

the group members

Ideal typical cause group:

where the membership is decide solely by ones subjectively choosing to support a particular cause or value system

Ideal types rarely exist in reality because many groups display

what?

mixed characteristics

Cause or Attitude Groups with Sectional Features:

Groups like women's rights or gay rights organisations

might resemble sectional interest groups because their

target members share specific characteristics (being

female or gay).

2 types of forms of participation

1. Pluralist forms of participation

2. Corporatist forms of participation

rational choice perspective

The rational choice perspective on interest groups views individuals' decisions to join groups

as intentional acts based on cost-benefit calculations, rejecting class-based theories like

Marxism by emphasizing that diverse and conflicting interests exist within both business and

working-class categories.

Olson’s Logic on Collective Action

• Olson's Logic of Collective Action suggests that large interest groups can

  overcome free-rider problems through material incentives or by relying on

  privileged members who gain disproportionately

Chong's theory Non-material benefits

Chong's theory expands rational choice models by highlighting how solidary

incentives (like social networks in black churches) and expressive benefits (like

public association with popular causes) help large groups overcome free-rider

problems, with media coverage and modern technology playing key roles in

facilitating mass mobilisation.

Rational choice, interest group power and institutions- olson

Olson argues that smaller producer interest groups (like businesses and

unions) have a mobilisation advantage over larger consumer and taxpayer

groups due to higher per capita stakes, easier monitoring of free-riders, and

structural biases in liberal democracies, which undermines pluralist and Chicago

School claims that democratic competition balances power.

Rational choice institutionalism perspective

Institutional rational choice suggests that variations in collective action across

states are influenced by the size of interest groups, economic structures,

political institutions, and government policies, with smaller, more

homogenous groups mobilising more easily, while stable democracies tend to

foster special-interest coalitions that slow economic growth unless disrupted by

institutional shocks like wars or crises.

Cultural Institutionalism perspective

Cultural theory suggests that individuals join groups based on shared values, beliefs, and

social norms acquired from their environment, rather than rational incentives, with culture

shaping both group interests and their relative power in society.

Views of Cultural institutional theories

class-based and interest group

representation as shaped by shared values, beliefs, and identities rather

than purely economic factors, emphasizing how cultural environments, socialroles, and symbolic attachments influence collective action across different

societies.

Culture, interest group power and institutions

argues that values, beliefs, and social status shape political power by

influencing which groups gain political influence, with income, occupational

prestige, and cultural norms determining which groups become insiders or

outsiders in political decision-making.

Cultural institutionalism and the comparative politics of interest groups

variations in social norms, historical legacies, and cultural

attitudes shape the power dynamics of interest groups across societies,

influencing which groups gain political influence,

Structural Institutionalism perspective

Structure and the basis of interest mobilisation

○ Structural institutionalism views interest group politics as shaped by individuals' positions within macro-political and economic structures,

Structure, institutions and interest group power

○It explains about interest group power as determined by class position, macro-political structures, and economic roles,