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The cover of The Logic of Collective Action

The Logic of Collective Action

Mancur Olson

Do groups of people with a common interest usually act to advance it, as many economists and political scientists assume?

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At a glance

Author
Mancur Olson

Why read it

  • You will question the assumption that groups with shared interests will naturally act to serve them
  • You will understand why vast groups like taxpayers, with an obvious common interest, can still lack a voice
  • You will spot compulsion behind groups that critics of unions belong to, such as professional associations

Who it is for

  • An activist wondering why a big cause struggles to organize
  • A political science student studying interest groups and lobbying
  • A voter curious why small industries often get their way

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. I. A Theory of Groups and Organizations
  3. A. The purpose of organization
  4. B. Public goods and large groups
  5. C. The traditional theory of groups
  6. D. Small groups
  7. E. “Exclusive” and “inclusive” groups
  8. F. A taxonomy of groups
  9. II. Group Size and Group Behavior
  10. A. The coherence and effectiveness of small groups
  11. B. Problems of the traditional theories
  12. C. Social incentives and rational behavior
  13. III. The Labor Union and Economic Freedom
  14. A. Coercion in labor unions
  15. B. Labor-union growth in theory and practice
  16. C. The closed shop and economic freedom in the latent group
  17. D. Government intervention and economic freedom in the latent group
  18. IV. Orthodox Theories of State and Class
  19. A. The economists’ theory of the state
  20. B. The Marxian theory of state and class
  21. C. The logic of the Marxian theory
  22. V. Orthodox Theories of Pressure Groups
  23. A. The philosophical view of pressure groups
  24. B. Institutional economics and the pressure group—John R. Commons
  25. C. Modern theories of pressure groups—Bentley, Truman, Latham
  26. D. The logic of group theory
  27. VI. The “By-Product” and “Special Interest” Theories
  28. A. The “by-product” theory of large pressure groups
  29. B. Labor lobbies
  30. C. Professional lobbies
  31. D. The “special interest” theory and business lobbies
  32. E. Government promotion of political pressure
  33. F. Farm cooperatives and farm lobbies
  34. G. Noneconomic lobbies
  35. H. The “forgotten groups”—those who suffer in silence
  36. Appendix

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