The Logic of Collective Action

"The existence of a large group with a common interest does not automatically give rise to collective action. There must be an individual incentive to join in or there must be compulsion. This proposition, together with the notion that small groups are qualitatively different from large ones, forms the core of this ... book. The range of phenomena it helps to explain and the number of existing ideas it overthrows are ... considerable. Having set out his theory of groups and organizations, the author demonstrates its explanatory power by examining the growth of trade unionism, the concept of economic freedom, Marx's class theory, orthodox theories of pressure groups, special interest groups and, lastly the unorganized groups. Economic analysis is blended with political theory and sociology ..."--Back cover.