Interest Groups

CHAPTER 9 (OLD TEXT)

Interest Groups

Role of Interest Groups: LO 1

Interest Group An organization of people with shared policy goals entering the policy goals entering the policy process at several points to try to achieve those goals.

Interest groups pursue their goals in many arenas.

The Role of Interest Groups cont’d. (LO1)

Interest groups are distinct from politcial parties.Political parties fight election battles;

interest groups do not field candidates for office but may choose sides.

Interest groups are policy SPECIALISTPolitical parties are policy

GENERALISTS

Theories of Interest Group Politics (LO 2)

Pluralist Theory Competition among groups trying to get

their preferred policies.Elite Theory

Upper-class elite holds most of the power and run government

Hyperpluralist Theory Groups are so strong that government is

weakened


Pluralism Groups provide a link between the people

and the government. Groups compete and no one group will

become too dominant Groups play by “rules of the game.” Groups weak in one resource may use

another. Lobbying is open to all groups.


ElitismGroups are unequal in power.Awesome power is held by the

largest corporations.Power of a few is fortified by

interlocking directorates.Other groups win minor policy

battles, but corporate elites win the big decisions.


Hyperpluralism Groups have become too powerful as

government tries to appease every conceivable interest.

Interest group liberalism is aggravated by numerous iron triangles.

Trying to please every group results in contradictory and confusing policy.

What Makes an Interest Group Successful (LO3)

Surprising Ineffectiveness of Large Groups Potential group – People who might be group

members because they share some common interest. Actual group – Potential group members who actually

join group. Collective good – Something of value that cannot be

withheld from a potential group member. Free-rider problem – Problem of people not joining

because they can benefit from the group’s activities without joining.

Selective benefits – Goods that a group can restrict to those who actually join.

How Groups Try to Shape Policy (LO 4)

Lobbying Communication to a governmental

decision maker with the hope of influencing his or her decision.

Lobbyists are (1) a source of information; (2) helping to get legislation passed; (3) helping to formulate campaign startegy; and (4) a source of ideas and innovations.


Electioneering Direct group involvement in the electoral

process by helping to fund campaigns, getting members to work for candidates, and forming political action committees (PACs)

PACs are political funding behicles created by the 1974 campaign finance reforms


Litigation

Amicus curiae briefs – Written arguments submitted to the courts in support of one side of a case.

Class action lawsuits – Enable a group of people in a similar situation to combine their common grievances into a single suit.


Going Public Groups try to

1. cultivate a good public image 2. build a reservoir of goodwill with the public 3. use marketing strategies to influence public opinion of

the group and its issue 4. advertise to motivate and inform the public about an

issue. **With enough money they can control the message

and issues candidates have to address (Defend or sit back and watch)• i.e. 2004 Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads

Types of Interest Groups (LO 5)

Economic Interests

Environmental Interests

Equality Interests

Consumer and Other Public Interest Lobbies


Economic Interests Labor – Union organizations press for policies to

ensure better working conditions and higher wages. Business – Interests generally unified when it comes

to promoting greater profits but are often fragmented when policy choices have to be made. http://businessroundtable.org/


Environmental Interests Environmental groups promote policies to control

pollution and to combat global warming, wilderness protection, and species preservation.

They oppose supersonic aircraft, nuclear power plants, drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and strip mining (Fracking)

http://lcv.pub30.convio.net/




Equality Interests Two sets of interest groups, representing minorities

and women, have made equal rights their main policy goal.

Equality groups press for equality at the polls, in housing, on the job, in education, and in all other facets of American life.

http://www.lwv.org/

http://www.lwv.org/

http://www.lwv.org/


Consumer and Other Public Interest Lobbies Public interest Lobbies – Groups that see

a collective good, and the achievement of which will not selectively and materially benefit the membership or activists of the organization.

Consumer groups – In 1973, Congress responded to consumer advocacy by creating the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which it authorized to regulate all consumer products and to ban products that were dangerous.

Understanding Interest Groups: LO 6

Interest Groups and Democracy James Madison wanted a wide-open system

in which groups compete. (Federalist #10) Pluralists – Public interest prevails from this

competition. Elite theorists – Proliferation of business

PACs is evidence of interest group corruption Hyperpluralists – Influence of groups lead to

policy gridlock.

Understanding Interest Groups: LO 6

Interest Groups and the Scope of Government Interest groups seek to maintain policies

and programs that benefit them. Interest groups pressure government to

do more things. As the government does more, more

groups form to get more

The Role of Interest Groups: Summary

Interest groups consist of groups that participate in the political process in order to promote the policy goals which members share.

They usually focus their efforts on one specific issue area, unlike political parties, which have to address all issues on the public agenda.

Interest Groups

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