“Interest group liberalism”

Interest groups are a big part of American politics. But what if interest groups are not all they are cracked up to be? What if interest groups are controlling too much of the political decision-making process, and taking away power from actual elected leaders? According to Theodore Lowi, that is exactly what has happened. Interest group liberalism is Theodore Lowi`s term for the clientelism resulting from the broad expansion of public programs in the United States, including those programs which were part of the “Great Society.” Lowis` critique stood out in sharp contrast to theories of pluralism, championed by Robert Dahl and others, which argued that interest groups provide competition and a necessary democratic link between people and government.