Iron Triangle
A concept in political science describing the policy-making relationship among congressional committees, the bureaucracy, and interest groups. These three entities work together to create policy that mutually benefits all three.
A concept in political science describing the policy-making relationship among congressional committees, the bureaucracy, and interest groups. These three entities work together to create policy that mutually benefits all three.
Example: Defense policy is the classic illustration: contractors lobby Congress for funding, congressional defense committees authorize the spending, and the Department of Defense awards the contracts.
Common misconception: The iron triangle is a formal, illegal conspiracy. It is an informal, often entirely legal structural phenomenon driven by shared institutional interests, campaign contributions, and the revolving door of employment.
Sources: https://www.britannica.com/ — encyclopedia fallback: "iron triangle" is a political-science concept with no official government definition; Britannica covers it as a concept; https://www.congress.gov/ — congressional defense committee jurisdictions (the example triangle) are verifiable on congress.gov committee pages