Interest Groups and Social Movements: Self- or Public Interested? Insights from the Brazilian Third-Sector Literature

Author: Candler G.G.

Source: Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, Volume 10, Number 3, September 1999 , pp. 237-253(17)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

By definition, interest groups are seen as self-interested, that is, organizations established to pursue the self-interest of their members. As such, this plethora of self-interested actors has been seen largely as a negative thing, cluttering the policy process, creating unmanageable demands, and leading to “iron triangles” of interest group/legislative/bureaucratic networks geared toward funneling benefits to narrow groups. In contrast, social movements, nongovernmental organizations, and the like typically are seen as positive, democratizing players in public policy. This paper seeks to muddy both sides of this neat distinction by bringing the Brazilian third-sector literature and field research on scientific and professional associations in the states of Sergipe and Santa Catarina to bear on the question of the self- versus public-interested stance of third-sector groups. On the one hand, social movements can be just as self-interested as the more traditional interest groups. On the other, interest groups often act wholly in the public interest.

Keywords: nonprofits; Brazil; nongovernmental organizations; social movements; Santa Catarina

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Master of Public Administration Program, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont. Assistant Professor, UVM-MPA program, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405

Publication date: 1999-09-01