Patronage and citizen groups: A reevaulation

It has been more than ten years since the publication of Jack L. Walker's seminal article The Organization and Maintenance of Interest Groups in America (1983). This brief essay reexamines some conclusions Walker reached in that study. Specifically, it takes a fresh look at Walker's data (which have recently become available through the ICPSR) and raises questions concerning how patronage is defined. The article also argues that to understand patronage we must consider that patronage may have a different impact on different types of groups. Ultimately, the article represents an attempt to further illuminate the process of citizen group development.