Chapter 10 Interest Groups Interest Groups in America

Chapter 10: Interest Groups

Interest Groups in America • Interest group: an organized body of individuals that seeks to influence public policy • Interest Groups: Good or Evil? – Alexis de Tocqueville celebrated Americans’ ease in forming groups as a reflection of strong democratic culture – Madison, in Federalist No. 10, warned of the dangers of faction and the need to control their effects Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10 | 2

Interest Groups in America • Roles of Interest Groups – Representation – Participation – Education – Agenda Building – Program Monitoring Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10 | 3

Group Stimulation Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10 | 4

How Interest Groups Form • Disturbance Theory: interest groups naturally form when people are adversely affected by a disturbance • Interest group entrepreneur: an interest group leader or organizer Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10 | 5

How Interest Groups Form • Who is Being Organized – The wealthy, well-educated, and politically motivated are more likely to form and join lobbies – Factors affecting group organization • A disturbance or adverse change may make people aware that they need political representation • The quality of leadership • The higher the socioeconomic level of potential members, the more likely those members are to join • Establishment by an institution (a hospital or University) Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10 | 6

Interest Group Resources • Membership – One of the most valuable resources a group can have is a large and politically active membership – Members provide political muscle and financial resources – Maintaining Membership • Ideological appeals • Direct mail • The Internet – Free-rider problem: a situation in which people benefit from the activities of the organization but do not contribute to those activities Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10 | 7

Interest Group Resources • Lobbyists – Can be either full-time employees of the organization or hired from law firms or public relations firms – Lobbyists can be fundraisers for candidates – Typical interaction between lobbyists and policymakers is transmission of information – Earn $800 k per year at some agencies Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10 | 8

Interest Group Resources • Political Action Committees (PACs): an organization that pools contributions from group members and donates those funds to candidates for office Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10 | 9

Political Action Committees • Most PACs are small and give less than $50, 000 in total during a 2 -year election cycle • About 50 PACs contributed at least $1 million during the last election cycle • Primary goal of contributions is generally to gain access to incumbents Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10 | 10

Lobbying Tactics • Direct lobbying: attempts to influence a legislator’s vote through personal contact – Grassroots lobbying: lobbying activities performed by rank-and-file interest group members and would-be members • Information campaign: are organized efforts to gain public backing by bringing the group’s views to public attention • High-Tech lobbying: using e-mail, polling and the World Wide Web to expand an organization’s reach • Coalition building: the banding together of several interest groups for the purpose of lobbying Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10 | 11

Who Lobbies? Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10 | 12

Interest Groups and Bias • At issue is fairness in a pluralist system • All significant interests in the population should be adequately represented • Government should listen to the views of all major interests – Membership Bias: profound bias in favor of those who are well-off financially Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10 | 13

Interest Groups and Bias • Citizen Groups: lobbying organizations built around policy concerns unrelated to members’ vocational interests – Poverty groups represent the interests of the poor – Other citizen groups focus on environmental protection, consumer protection, family values, good government, equality for various groups Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10 | 14

Interest Groups and Bias • Business Mobilization: Business lobbies increased in 1970 s and 1980 s – Almost 2/3 of all organizations lobbying on all issues are business-related Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10 | 15

Interest Groups and Bias • Reform – Difficult to put limits on interest groups without limiting fundamental freedoms Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10 | 16