Organizing democracy: Economic interest groups in post‐communist Germany

Three analytical perspectives derived from group theory reveal emergent patterns of interest group activity in post‐communist society. Pluralist and corporatist theories locate the socio‐economic foundations of group interests in employment relations and the structure of capital ownership. Characterized by fragmentation and individualization, post‐communist society provides a weak social infrastructure for collective action. Lacking the organizational assets which sustain collective action in resource mobilization theory, interest groups are over‐reliant on service provision as a membership incentive. Organizational activity thus conforms to the ‘entrepreneurial model’ postulated by exchange theory. These tendencies are evident in the forms of group activity found in the countries of Eastern and Central Europe, but are particularly pronounced in the post‐communist economy of eastern Germany.