Do Interest Groups Contribute to Democracy in Elections?

Hi, everyone!  This blog assignment, worth 20 points and due by 7 am on Monday, March 3, will foreshadow one of the possible topics for the final paper assignment.  This week's readings in Cigler and Loomis, as well as Wednesday's lecture, make it clear that interest groups have  exploded as an influence in the US electoral process.  Some argue that this is bad for democracy, that it's all about money, that campaigns have been degraded.  Others argue that more interests are represented than ever before, and more people have a voice through interest groups than they would through the relatively weak and ineffective party system that our democracy provides.  What do you think?  Make use of the readings (perhaps including those from the week of February 24), the lectures, and class discussions, and do some research of your own as well.  Don't be afraid to argue (politely) with your classmates; let's see a strong and spirited discussion, backed by solid evidence!--NB

Review for Exam #1

Hi, everyone!  Exam #1 is scheduled for Wednesday, February 12, in our regular classroom, during our regular class time.  You’ll have 75 minutes to complete the exam, though you probably won’t need that.  All you need to bring to the exam is a writing utensil (preferably a pen).  To prepare for the exam, you should make use of the readings, lectures, class discussions, and the blog assignment on ways around the free rider problem (including your colleagues’ comments).  If you want to ask me questions, there are three ways to do it:

1.        Email me at the address on the syllabus (berchnorto@msn.com).  I will generally respond quickly, but I may be slowed from about 10 am Friday to Monday evening (note again that there is no class on Monday, February 10, as I’ll be away on University business).  I hope to be able to respond, but that’s not totally guaranteed.  I will respond emailed questions until 1 pm on the day of the exam.

2.       You may post a question in the comments section of this blog post (this has been very effective in other classes).  However, I’m really unlikely to be able to answer them between 10 am Friday and Monday evening.  I’ll do what I can, but I’ll catch up on Monday night.  I will answer any questions posted on the blog before 11 am on the day of the exam (technical reasons for the earlier deadline).  I urge you to take a look at the comments on Wednesday before the exam, so you can take advantage of the questions asked by your colleaguges.

3.       I will have office hours on the day of the exam from 1:45 to 3:20.

The format of the exam is simple.  There will be two essay questions focusing on the formation and maintenance of interest groups, and you will need to answer both of them (probably in 1-3 pages each).  Here are general descriptions of the questions, though you should make sure to read the specific questions on the exam and answer them in all their parts:

1.       You will be asked to explain why not every interest forms an interest group.  You’ll want to take advantage of the notion of concentrated benefits and diffuse costs, the free rider problem, and Olson’s insights into why it is much easier for smaller, privileged groups (or even intermediate groups) to form, as opposed to larger, latent groups.

2.       You will be asked to explain why some large, latent groups manage to form and perhaps even maintain themselves over time despite the insight that Olson offers into the free rider problem.  You may be asked about specific groups.  You should be prepared to discuss the different kinds of selective incentives, conditional cooperation, federation, miscalculation of costs and benefits, low costs, political entrepeneurs, and altruism, as well as any other ideas you may have.

Good luck!--NB