ABSTRACT
Examples of the Power of Nonrational Explanations Do you remember our discussion of pluralism? If you do, then the idea of group theory should sound familiar. Group theory is a model that argues that public policy is the result not of rationality but of the competition between groups that struggle with each other to shape public policy. The size and composition of the “members” of the group, the group’s monetary wealth and access to policymakers, and its organizational health are all factors that influence the strength of these groups. For example, groups that are better organized and vote in higher numbers (like senior citizens) tend to get better policy results than groups that are poorly organized and fail to vote in significant proportions (like college students).
