Final answer:
An iron triangle in political science is a term describing a strong, symbiotic relationship between a congressional committee, interest group, and governmental agency, working together to influence policy-making. Its name reflects the supposed durability and exclusivity of this relationship network.
Step-by-step explanation:
An iron triangle is a term used in political science to describe the stable, symbiotic relationship between a congressional committee (or its chair), an interest group, and a governmental agency. Each corner of the triangle provides critical support and resources to the others, creating a strong network that helps push policies beneficial to their interests. Congressional committees depend on interest groups for policy information and campaign contributions, while interest groups rely on the committees to pass favorable laws. Both need the government agency to enact and enforce these laws, and the agency in return depends on the other two for support within the government. This arrangement tends to exclude others from participation and has been critiqued as a closed system, though some suggest that it simply reflects the expertise of these actors in specific policy areas. Alternative views propose more open, network-based forms of policy-making that Heclo refers to as issue networks.
The name iron triangle reflects the strength and durability of these relationships, akin to the strength of iron. It's suggested that this network is hard to penetrate or disrupt, emphasizing the 'iron-clad' nature of these policy-making bonds.
When comparing the options for what constitutes an aspect of iron triangles, the correct choice is c. a symbiotic relationship among Congressional committees, executive agencies, and interest groups. This choice most accurately represents the mutual dependencies among the three components of an iron triangle.