Public Interest Groups

It is hard-pressing to think of many organizations in America that are fighting for the benefits of the entire population. In every instance, even with organizations as seemingly good-natured as one that, for example, converts abandoned warehouses into parks, certain groups will not be happy with the result. Perhaps a private firm had plans to build a shopping complex in the area. From this, it could be inferred that there is no such thing as a public interest group, only individual groups fighting for private causes. This is not the case, however, as will be evident when I define understanding of a public interest group, and compare this public interest group structurally to the format of a regular interest group, noting differences in funding, membership, and motives.
For an interest group to be public, it must seek some collective good, but not selectively and materially benefit members of the organization. This is not to say that every public interest organization has...