This is Jeff Berry. Over my career most of my research has focused on interest groups and I've enjoyed writing and revising Chapter 10 over the many editions of The Challenge of Democracy The subject of interest groups is one that can make us uncomfortable. Interest groups are frequently selfish, trying to persuade government to adopt policies that help one set of Americans at the expense of others. For example, if an industry goes to Washington and convinces Congress to grant it a tax reduction, that means that everyone else in the country will have to pay a bit more in taxes to make up for the revenue that has been lost to government because of that tax break.

Chapter 10 draws heavily the theme of pluralism and majoritarianism introduced in Chapter 2. Recall that pluralism is a type of democracy built around interest groups. People organize and then make their voices heard through the organizations that represent them before government.

But why is this a form of democracy when it is clear that interest groups do not necessarily pursue goals that are in the best interest of all of us? Pluralists argue that this theory is a realistic conception of government. In a democracy people need the freedom to push government in whatever direction they want. The Constitution guarantees our right of political association and freedom of speech.

Pluralists assume that a strong government can arbitrate between competing groups and devise policies that best serve the country. Critics contend that a pluralist system of government favors those who are the wealthiest and best organized.

Chapter10 examines these competing visions. Is pluralism a desirable form of government, or one that fails us by facilitating access to policymakers by those who are the wealthiest or best organized? Read the chapter and decide for yourself.