American Government / Unit 6 Gov 268 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Collective Action Problem
Captions available
The idea
A collective action problem exists when people share an interest but each has a disincentive to act on it.
In practice
One phone call rarely sways a member of Congress, so each concerned citizen rationally skips the call.
Where people slip
Shared interest does not organize itself — Mancur Olson's Logic of Collective Action is the source text.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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