"When the number of participants is large, the typical participant will know that his own efforts will probably not make much of a difference to the outcome, and that he will be affected by the meeting's decision in much the same way no matter how much or how little effort he puts into studying the issue".
Mancur Olson
To some degree I believe that a much smaller group can make effective decisions and come to a solution to a problem faster than a larger group. Especially when it comes to politics, it would be nearly impossible to make a decision if everyone in society had to participate in the decision making. People do not share the same interest, and too many opinions will slow down the process of coming to a solution- even if the solution is not right. Smaller groups does not guarantee that everyone's voice will be heard. It comes back to the majority vs. the minorities. Not all decisions made by larger groups based on vote necessarily means it is the "right decision". I chose this particular piece of the reading because it does allow me to think of Madison's fear of larger groups creating more factions but it also allows me to think of John Stuart Mill in his piece about Liberties. I would hope that people don't shy away from participating in a movement because they think that their opinions or participation would not make a difference. However, it is something that many people feel on a regular basis, people are not always ready to be part of a movement because their attendance would not make a difference on the outcome or bottom line of the decision.
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