All Interest Groups Need to Recruit and Retain Members in Order

question 21

Essay

All interest groups need to recruit and retain members in order to achieve their political goals.Explain what the so-called free-rider problem is and why it makes recruitment and retention difficult for interest groups.Drawing on the histories of Moveon.org and the American Association of Retired People, discuss how successful interest groups are able to overcome the free-rider problem.In your answer, be sure to define the different kinds of selective incentives interest groups provide to their members.

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Definitions:

Price Charged

The amount of money demanded by a seller for a product or service.

Perfectly Competitive

A market structure characterized by many buyers and sellers, homogenous products, and free entry and exit, leading to efficient pricing and output levels.

Organic

Pertaining to or derived from living organisms, in food production referring to practices that do not use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.

Profit

The profit achieved when the revenue generated from a business operation surpasses the expenses, costs, and taxes needed to maintain the operation.