POLI 100E, Interest Group Politics: Topics 3 and 4

Mancur Olsen's The Logic of Collective Action

1. Olsen's The Logic of Collective Action was published in
   1965 at the height of pluralism and his criticisms of the
   group basis of politics immediately changed the terms
   of the debate.
   
   
2. Olsen challenged the idea that individuals with common
   interests would automatically form groups to take
   collective action to defend and/or advance their interests.
   Olsen argued that there were three basic problems with
   this theory of group behavior:
   
   
   1. Free Riding -- Members of a group enjoy the benefits
      of the group activity whether or not they contribute.
      
      
   2. Coordination -- If there are multiple objectives --
      a very common occurrence -- then the members
      of a group may have difficulty coordinating on the
      objectives.
      
      
   3. Conflict of Interest -- Group members may not agree
      on what should be the primary goal of the group.
      
      
3. These problems are particularly severe for large
   groups because:
   
   
   1. Anonymity -- Large groups tend to be anonymous
      so it is difficult to forge a group identity.
      
      
   2. A Single Individual's contribution is less important.
      
      
   3. Enforcement -- In a large, anonymous group it is hard
      to know who has and has not contributed!
      
      
4. Small Groups are less likely to encounter these problems
   because:
   
   
   1. Less Anonymity -- Members are more vulnerable to
      interpersonal persuasion.
      
      
   2. A single Individual's contribution is more significant.
      
      
   3. Enforcement is possible: Those who do and do not
      contribute to the group effort are usually known.
      
      
5. Olsen's By-Product Theory -- Large groups are able
   to get members to contribute by offering them both
   collective and private (selective) benefits. Hence, the
   achievement of the group's goals are in part a by-product
   of the provision of private benefits.
   
   These private benefits or selective incentives include
   discounts at hotels and motels (AARP), coffee mugs
   and sweatshirts (NPR), and so on.
   
   
6. Olsen's Theory does not take into account the role of:
   
   
   1. Leaders or more broadly Political Entrepreneurs --
      Leaders and leadership institutions increase the
      activity level of a group and the level of cooperation.
      Leaders, because of perks or nonmaterial glory will
      bear the costs of organizing and expending effort to
      monitor potential free-riders so that group goals are
      achieved.
      
      
   2. Ideology -- Members of group contribute because
      their belief system makes participating in group
      activities a priority whether or not they receive
      selective benefits.