Instructions:
 

At the time of the exam on May 22nd (11:30-1:30 PM), you will be given two questions randomly selected from the following list. You will then answer one of these two. Please remember that your essay will be graded for organization (for example, every essay should have an introduction that previews the argument), command of the material, and writing. Although you may need to use several readings to answer a question, be sure to organize your essay as a response to the question, not on a reading-by-reading basis. You may not use any notes or books when writing the essay in class.
 

Questions:
 

1. The 1960s as a "Critical Era" for Political Parties. Identify and discuss the key changes in parties during the 1960s and 1970s, and assess whether the changes that began in the 1960s have persisted to the present.
 

2. Interest Groups Across Time. Discuss the historical development of interest groups in the United States, identifying the factors that contributed to increased group activity at certain times and the factors that may have changed the character of interest groups over the past fifty years.
 

3. Overcoming the "Free Rider" Problem. Mancur Olson contended that interest groups must overcome the tendency of people who share a common interest to "free ride" on the efforts of others who bear the cost of collective active. Explain how interest groups recruit and maintain members, illustrating your account with specific examples. Does the membership activity of interest groups support Olson's theory or do other theories better account for why people join such organizations?
 

4. The Logic of Lobbying. Why do interest organizations lobby?