The insider/outsider distinction: an empirical investigation

The distinction between 'insiders' and 'outsiders' occupies a central role in thinking about the relationship between government and interest groups in Britain. Usually, the accuracy of such distinctions are based on studies of small numbers of groups. The results of a survey of 381 groups reveals that relatively few groups could be classed as pure outsiders, while a much larger number have the features of the insider. While the methodology employed means that the results are suggestive rather than conclusive, the implications of the findings for the study of government-group relations in Britain are that the insider/outsider distinction is at best an oversimplification and at worst misleading.