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Governance and Public Policy QUESTION #10533
Question 1
In the context of policymaking, the term "iron triangles" refers to:
  • Tightly-knit alliances of legislative committees, bureaucratic agencies, and interest groups that dominate policy in a specific sector✔️
  • Groups of politicians and officials that work to exclude business interests from policymaking
  • Closely guarded areas of sensitive national security importance
  • None of these
Correct Answer Explanation
Iron triangles describe the mutually reinforcing, closed policy subsystems formed by three actors: (1) Congressional/Parliamentary committees, (2) Government agencies/bureaucracies, and (3) Interest groups/lobbies operating in a specific policy domain. Each benefits the others — agencies get budgets, committees get support, groups get favorable policies — creating stable but potentially unaccountable policymaking dominated by narrow interests.