Iron Triangle

America's government was created based on the principle of working together for the common good of the people, to provide structure and leadership to the people of the nation. Iron triangles, which are made up of a bureaucratic element such as a department or agency and interest groups and Congressional committees related to that federal work force's purpose, are interdependent; all three governmental elements support each other. As compared to issue networks, which include a variety of organizations working towards a specific goal, iron triangles are long-lasting, concrete alliances of these three particular members that have a common interest in a certain federal program, not issue. First, a House or Senate authorizing committee involved in this system provides subsidies for a federal agency, such as the Department of Labor, in addition to appropriating and apportioning funds through the Congressional budget. An interest group, like a teacher's union for example, in turn gives monetary support and endorsement to the candidates involved in the committee. They do this because the agency, which works with the interest group to implement certain programs or laws, gets money from Congress. As you can see, this complex relationship between all three sectors imitates a wheel that is always turning, different parts working together to move forward and accomplish certain goals and common desires. This type of constant and "rolling" structure between interests, subcommittees and bureaucrats is key in a well-oiled Republic because laws could not be implemented effectively without them. The fact that any one of the groups involved continually relies on the other two to function, creates accountability and responsibility for the three groups. All in all, iron triangles make the functioning of our government possible because of the unity and constant give and take that's required to make them work.