“Iron triangle” Essay

Iron triangle is a frontier used by political scientists to describe the policy-making relationship mingled with the legislature, the bureaucracy, and amuse groups. The term iron triangle has been widely used by political scientists outside the United States and is today an accepted term in the field. In the United States, bureaucratic power is exercised in the Congress, and particularly in congressional committees and subcommittees. By aligning itself with selected constituencies, an theatrical performance whitethorn be able to affect policy outcomes directly in these committees and subcommittees.This is where an iron triangle whitethorn manifest itself. These are the powerful interests groups that influence Congressional votes in their favour and can guarantee the re-election of a member of Congress in restitution for corroborationing their programs. At another corner sit members of Congress who similarly seek to align themselves with a constituency for political and elec toral support. These congressional members support command that advances the interest groups agenda.Occupying the third corner of the triangle are bureaucrats, who are often pres authenticd by the same powerful interest groups their agency is designated to regulate. The result is a three-way, stable alliance that is slightlytimes called a subgovernment because of its durability, impregnability, and power to determine policy. Consumers are often left out in the cold by this arrangement. An iron triangle can result in the passing of very narrow, pork-barrel policies that benefit a small segment of the population.The interests of the agencys constituency (the interest groups) are met, while the needs of consumers (which may be the prevalent frequent) are passed over. That public administration may result in benefiting a small segment of the public in this way may be viewed as problematic for the popular concept of democracy if the general welfare of all citizens is sacrificed for very specific interests. This is especially so if the legislation passed neglects or reverses the original purpose for which the agency was established. On the other hand, lobbyists similarly helped the consumer and the general public as well.Since the consumer and the general public are normally less educated, unorganized and lacks financial resources, the lobbyist and interest groups represent them in some ways. A public good is something from which everybody benefits. People cannot be excluded from enjoying the good retributory because they didnt pay for it. If an interest group is successful in lobbying for laws that give improve the air quality, for example, everyone who breathes that air will benefit, whehter they paid for the lobbying effort or not. Despite the bad reputation earned by interest groups through with(predicate) the years there are several advantages to their existence.Interest groups help keep going the gap between the citizens and the government and enable citizens to explain their views on policies to public officials. They also help raise public awareness and inspire mete out on various issues. They often provide public officials with specialized and flesh out information that might be difficult to obtain otherwise. This information may be useful in making policy choices. Interest groups serve as a check on public officials to make sure that they are carrying out their duties and responsibilities.BibliographyEdward I Sidlow, Beth Henschen. America at Odds, Thomson Wadsworth, 2005. ISBN 0534647596 Gordon Adams. The Iron triplicity The Politics of Defense Contracting, Council on Economic Priorities, New York, 1981. ISBN 0-87-871012-4 Jack H. Knott, Gary J. miller Reforming Bureaucracy Prentice-Hall ISBN 0-13-770090-3 (1st edition, 1987) Francis E. Rourke Bureaucracy, Politics, and Public Policy Harpercollins ISBN 0-673-39475-1 (3rd edition, 1984) Iron Triangle Retrieved March 06, 2007, from http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Iron_tria ngle.