Special Interest Groups are an integral part of economic policy decision making in democratic societies. In this book, they are to be discussed in terms of their impact on a country's economic performance. To do so the concept of a market for special privileges has to be introduced in order to develop an explicit demand/supply framework encompassing both special interest groups and political decision makers. Thus, the whole range of economists' tools can be applied to a topic that has implications not only for Economics but also for Political Science and Business Administration. The analysis opens the door for a critical assessment of recommendations that are discussed with respect to curbing and channelling the influence of special interest groups on economic policy making.