Assessing the Importance of Financial and Human Capital for Interest Group Sector Strength across American Communities

Maryann Barakso, Jessica C. Gerrity and Brian F. Schaffner

British Journal of Political Science, 2011, vol. 41, issue 3, 557-580

Abstract: One of the most profound changes in the interest group sector over the last fifty years is interest groups’ increasing need to attract financial donors in order to assure long-term sustainability. Groups’ growing propensity to attract ‘chequebook’ members is thought to compromise their ability to foster the personal involvement of individuals in their communities. Yet we know very little about the consequences of these dynamics for the strength of the interest group sector in American communities. This widespread macro-level analysis of the interest group sector indicates that human capital is more important than financial capital for the strength of a community's interest group sector. Financially disadvantaged communities may still enjoy the benefits of a strong interest group sector provided they have a citizenry equipped with time to donate.

Date: 2011
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