POLI 2051 Chapter : Interest Groups In American Politics 2 18 14
Document Summary
The committee system used in congress is an example of informal constitutional change through political practices. Interest group- an organization of people with shared policy goals who enter the political process to try to achieve those goals. Variety of types of groups: corporations, business and trade associations, labor unions, professional associations, farm groups, racial/ ethnic groups, religious groups, citizen advocacy and cause groups (for greater good *madd, governments and universities. Growth in interest group activity due to a number of factors. Most interest groups pursue collective goods: something of value, such as clean air, that cannot be withheld from nonmembers. This is called the free-rider problem: the problem faced by groups when people do not join because they can benefit from the group"s activities without officially joining. The bigger the group, the most serious the free- rider problem.
