Federalism and Interest Group Cohesion

The stock opinion among students of interest groups has, until recently, posited that groups in countries with a federal system of government are less cohesive and more prone to disunity than interest groups in unitary states. This article addresses this relationship bet ween federalism and weak group cohesion in an attempt to explain the contrasting patterns of cohesion in two peak Australian business groups, each a confederation in structure. The literature on federalism and group cohesion gives insufficient attention to the divisive impact of three factors: party go vernment, size and wealth inequalities among a group's constituent units, and a group's decision and payoff rules. The literature also gives insufficient attention to the determinants of group secession. It is the contention of the article that conflicts over the fairness of a federated organization's rules, particularly when the large, wealthy units find themselves outvoted by the small, poor units, can be sufficient to provoke the aggrieved units to secede

Cohesion (chemistry · Economics · Federalism · fiscal federalism · Geography · Group (periodic table · Group cohesiveness · Inequality · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Secession · Sociology · Special Interest Group · Stock (firearms · Unitary state · Australian History and Society · Labor Movements and Unions · Law · Scottish History and National Identity

• Fragmented Welfare States

  Open Access•Paul Pierson•Governance•1995

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