Interest Group Membership And Group Dynamics Springerlink

Leo Migdal

-Dec 8, 2025, 11:47 AM

interest group membership and group dynamics springerlink

This chapter describes the different types of members interest groups aggregate, how they are involved in the group, and their influence within the organization. The chapter opens with a brief reflection on the intermediary role of membership-based interest groups, who are often seen as transmission belts that relay the preferences of their members to policy-making processes. Subsequently, different types of members based on their nature (i.e., individuals, firms, institutions, and groups or associations), and the societal interests they represent (i.e., sectional, or cause) are discussed. In doing so, this entry also examines the different collective action problems experienced by interest groups and the consequences for the involvement and influence of members within the group. The main argument is that the internal logics that characterize member involvement in interest groups that aggregate individuals are significantly different when the members of groups are... This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout Ahrne, G., & Brunsson, N. (2008). Meta-organizations. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. Berry, J.

M. (1977). Lobbying for the people. The political behavior of public interest groups. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Research output: Chapter/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Academic

Research output: Chapter/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Academic T1 - Interest Group Membership and Group Dynamics N1 - It is an e-book, there won’t be hard copies of the volume (at least for now). UR - https://link-springer-com.eur.idm.oclc.org/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-030-13895-0_120-1 You have full access to this open access chapter, Download reference work entry PDF Interest groups play a vital role in modern representative democracies by acting as intermediaries between citizens’ demands and policymakers (Otjes & Rasmussen, 2017; Rasmussen & Gross, 2015).

However, their representative function also means that they are not neutral actors (Rasmussen & Gross, 2015) and advocate across various policy areas, including environmental, digital, and financial regulation policies (Pagliari & Young, 2014, 2016). Additionally, they engage in more contested areas, such as gun policy (Lacombe, 2019; Merry, 2016). Many studies do not explicitly define how they use the term interest groups. Studies that do define them tend to agree on the concept of interest groups as a broad range of non-state organizations engaged in public policy advocacy (e.g., De Bruycker, 2015; Dür & Mateo, 2014;... Specifically, Beyers et al. (2008) define interest groups based on their organized form, political interests, and their informality.

They define interest groups as organizations that engage in political advocacy to advance specific interests by interacting with policymakers rather than contesting elections. Other studies that explicitly define the interest group concept do so in a variety of ways (Baroni et al., 2014; Beyers et al., 2008). Terms such as advocacy groups, pressure groups, social movement organizations, civil society organizations, NGOs, and business associations are employed in its definition. However, social movements, for example, exclude market-based actors such as firms or business associations. Similarly, the concept of civil society encompasses an arena of actors distinct from both the state and the market, including individuals, movements, and the media, while typically excluding corporate actors. “Interest groups” thus serves as an overarching term to capture the shared purpose of these organizations, which is to engage in advocacy and to “represent interests.” However, some categorizations also include less conventional entities...

This broad scope makes it challenging to establish a precise and universally accepted definition. Additionally, scholars employ different classification schemes to distinguish between various types of interest groups, further complicating the debate over definitions (Baroni et al., 2014). The interest group literature distinguishes between organizational and behavioral approaches when defining interest groups. Organizational definitions focus on structural characteristics, often restricting interest groups to membership-based organizations, thereby excluding without memberships such as individual companies. While this approach provides clear identification, it is narrow and overlooks how groups pursue shared political interests. In contrast, behavioral definitions emphasize actions, defining interest groups by their observable, policy-related activities and their efforts to influence public policy (Baroni et al., 2014).

This chapter describes the different types of members interest groups aggregate, how they are involved in the group, and their influence within the organization

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This Chapter Describes The Different Types Of Members Interest Groups

Tax Calculation Will Be Finalised At Checkout Ahrne, G., &