ABSTRACT

Interest groups form an important part of the development of political and social systems. This book goes beyond current literature in examining the survival and ‘careers’ of such groups beyond their formation.

The author introduces the concept of organizational form and develops a framework to describe and evaluate organisations, and uncover how they adapt to survive. Using example case studies from the UK, US and Australia, the book presents extensive historical analyses of specific groups, to better understand the organisation and position of such groups within their political system. It analyses how groups differentiate themselves from each other, how they develop differently and what impact this has on policy implementation and democratic legitimacy.

The Organization of Political Interest Groups will be of interest to students and scholars of political science, comparative politics, public representation, and public policy.

chapter 1|17 pages

Studying interest groups as ‘organizations'

A lacuna?

chapter 3|19 pages

Interest groups and organizational form

chapter 4|23 pages

Revisiting population-level analysis

A feature-based approach

chapter 5|20 pages

Interest group ‘careers' (I)

Formation

chapter 6|23 pages

Interest group ‘careers' (II)

Group adaptation and change over time

chapter 7|22 pages

Niche theories

Differentiation through ‘form'?

chapter 8|17 pages

Assembling group identities in nascent fields

Revisiting a population-level perspective

chapter 9|15 pages

Evolving group identities

The role of ‘categories' and audience

chapter 10|20 pages

Interest group policy capacities

chapter 11|10 pages

Conclusions

Technological change and the (ongoing) importance of organization