politics essay review

Political behavior can be understood through economic theories of rational action, contends

theorist Mancur Olson in The Logic of Collective Action. Written against the backdrop of group

theory scholarship, Olson builds on the concept of a group member as rational actor but

distinguishes himself from earlier theories which assert that because individuals are acting in

their own self-interest it follows that individuals within large groups act in the common interest

of the group. The logical misstep in these theories, according to Olson, lies within the

assumption that individuals disregard their individual interest in deciding whether to expend the

costs of group participation. Olson contends that a person’s individual interest – not common

interest – forms the basis of the rational action within group behavior.

Olson argument is supported by an illustration which involves a firm which, on the one

hand, shares a common interest with other firms to attain higher prices but also, on the other,

possesses the individual interest of capturing this advantage over other firms in the industry.

Olson also uses the examples of national security and labor unions as evidence that the condition

of large groups (and the relative imperceptibility of participation or non-participation) gives rise

to free-riding.

Although facts and statistics are noticeably missing from Olson’s work, the “logic” of the

theory and examples used are compelling strengths. Furthermore, although it is a classic work

many decades old, one only need to consider the public radio broadcast on the car during the

morning to commute to recognize the value of the theory. Listeners can choose to “free-ride” on

the service without paying any additional amounts into it (beyond the taxed amounts), despite

enjoying it freely and letting others shoulder the additional financial burden. This example

effectively highlights how Olson’s theory provides value into understanding group behavior.

Commented [VJ1]: No header in here

Commented [VJ2]: Very clear thesis identification

Commented [VJ3]: Rest of paragraph 1 is further elaboration of the argument

Commented [VJ4]: Paragraph 2 describes the “evidence” used, rather than continuing to describe the argument.

Commented [VJ5]: Paragraph 3 assesses the argument critically, adding a real life example which either supports or refutes the argument (in this case, it supports it)