ABSTRACT
Political scientists have long recognized that the formation and mobilization of interest groups is the natural result of like-minded individuals coming together to pursue a common goal. Political action, nonetheless, frequently does involve government. Getting the government involved offers significant advantages because government has coercive power. Political activity in the United States has always been shaped by organized group activity. Solidary benefits are “satisfactions gained through friendship and fraternity among individuals involved in a joint enterprise”. Groups have several ways to overcome the free rider problem. One is to get government to require membership. Labor unions are not the only group that seeks to use the government to overcome the free rider problem. Interest groups have long played an important role in the American political system. The pluralist explanation is that interest groups are a natural extension of a democratic system that guarantees freedom of expression and association.
