The origin and formation of the property rights interest community in Alabama and Mississippi

Interest group communities abound in the past century. The factors that catalyzed their formation have been the substantive material of theories postulated since the writings of David Truman in 1951. David Truman's Disturbance Theory and Robert Salisbury's Exchange Theory have been two of the most enduring theories regarding the formation and origins of groups. Truman offered that the increasing complexity of our society and rapid changes create disturbances, and associations spring from the disruptions of the established pattern of behavior.Salisbury, under the Exchange/Entrepreneur Theory, argued that interest groups' origins, growth, death, and associated lobbying activity may be better explained if we regard them as exchange relationships between entrepreneurs/organizers who invest capital in a set of benefits which they offer to prospective members at a price.; This research focused on property (land) rights groups in the States of Alabama and Mississippi for an examination of the research questions of (a) To what extent can property rights interest groups' formation in Alabama and Mississippi be explained in terms of Truman's Disturbance Theory and Salisbury's Exchange/Entrepreneur Theory? and (b) Did the experience in each state's property rights groups favor a different theory, or was one theory applicable to both, or was a combination of the two theories necessary to explain interest group formation? A qualitative research design was employed comprised of seven methodological steps. The completion of these steps led to the development of a case study of the two states' property rights interest communities.; For the State of Alabama, three property rights groups were identified. They formed between 1992 and 1993. In Mississippi, four groups were documented as advocates for property rights. Two of the groups came from existing, older established interests in the state. The other two were newly formed (between 1989 and 1991) state chapters of national organizations. Thus, activation rather than formation was the thrust of the Mississippi discussion. Associating the information gathered to the propositions of the Disturbance and Exchange Theories, the study found that both theories had some utility for explaining group formation or activation in the study states. The Exchange Theory best explained the formation character of two of the three Alabama groups. The third group's formation information best supported the Disturbance Theory. Mississippi's groups' activation and formation were best explained by sets of propositions under the Disturbance Theory.; The 1990s was a heightened period of group activity on the issue of property rights. The issue has carried over into the new century. The continued vigilance to pass property rights legislation at both the state and the national level speaks to the currency of the topic and opportunities for other investigative paths.