Most people [assume] that in a democracy policy tended to reflect the will of the majority. But Olson showed how in many situations, small, committed minorities prevail.
Why? When a large group favors a policy change, it is expensive to organize that group to seek it. And often each member of a very large group will experience only small individual benefits from the policy – so no member has the incentive to invest in change. Apathy reigns. Conversely, a small group can usually organize cheaply. And because the group is small, each individual member is likely to realize a much larger benefit from the sought-after change. As a result, the small group is properly motivated. In short, the committed minority can often beat the disorganized majority.
Why we have a great chance of changing things to our advantage, even though we are small in number - 100 polo players versus 6 million Londoners.
From Freakonomics blog
Most people [assume] that in a democracy policy tended to reflect the will of the majority. But Olson showed how in many situations, small, committed minorities prevail.
Why? When a large group favors a policy change, it is expensive to organize that group to seek it. And often each member of a very large group will experience only small individual benefits from the policy – so no member has the incentive to invest in change. Apathy reigns. Conversely, a small group can usually organize cheaply. And because the group is small, each individual member is likely to realize a much larger benefit from the sought-after change. As a result, the small group is properly motivated. In short, the committed minority can often beat the disorganized majority.