Chapter 16 Interest Groups American Government Continuity and

Chapter 16 Interest Groups American Government: Continuity and Change 9 th Edition to accompany Comprehensive, Alternate, Texas, and Essentials Editions O’Connor and Sabato Pearson Education, Inc. © 2008

Interest Groups o Social capital n The myriad relationships that individuals enjoy that facilitate the resolution of community problems through collective action o Civic virtue n The tendency to form small-scale associations for the public good

What are Interest Groups? o An organized group that tries to influence public policy o Truman n Disturbance theory o Interest groups form in part to counteract the efforts of other groups

What Are Interest Groups? o Robert Salisbury n Expanded Truman’s theory n Groups form when resources are inadequate or scarce n Stressed the role that leaders play: entrepreneurs

Kinds of Organized Interests o Generally, interest groups is a term used to describe the numerous organized groups that try to influence government policy o Public Interest Groups o Economic Interest Groups o Governmental Units o Political Action Committees o Multi-Issue versus Single Issue Groups

The Origins & Development of American Interest Groups o National groups emerge (1830 -1889) n Communication networks enabled nationalization of groups n First were single-issue groups deeply rooted in the Christian religious revivalism o Temperance, Peace, Education, and Slavery n Other groups emerged after the Civil War n One of the most effective: Central Pacific Railroad o Sent lobbyist to D. C. in 1861 n Lobbyists o Interest group representative who seeks to influence legislation that will benefit his or her organization through political persuasion

The Roots & Development of American Interest Groups o The Progressive Era (1890 -1920) n Grew out of concern for impact of rapid industrialization, influx of immigration, monopolistic business practices, crime, poverty, poor working conditions n Organized Labor o AFL o Clayton Act: allowed unions to organize free from prosecution and guaranteed their right to strike n Business Groups and Trade Associations o Trade Associations: a group that represents a specific industry o National Electric Light Association (NELA)

The Rise of the Interest Group State o 1960 s and 1970 s saw a reappearance of the Progressive spirit n n n Civil Rights Women’s Rights Elderly Poor Consumers Environment o Common Cause and Ralph Nader’s Public Citizen o Conservative Response: Religious and Ideological Groups n Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority n Pat Robertson, the 700 Club and the Christian Coalition n National Rifle Association

Business Groups, Corporations, and Associations o Rise in business advocacy groups o More political that Chamber of Commerce n Example: The Business Roundtable o Created in 1972 o Urges member to engage in direct lobbying to influence the course of public policy o Most large corporations have n Own governmental affairs department n Employ D. C. -based lobbyists to keep them apprised of legislation n Gave substantial soft money in the past n Still use PACS, 527 s, and thus contribute a great deal of money

Organized Labor o Began to emerge as powerful player early in the 20 th century n Could turn out members n Focus not only on labor issues, but also other issues of concern to its members o More recently labor has lost some clout n Membership down n “pale, male, stale”

What Do Interest Groups Do? o Lobbying n The activities of a group or organization that seeks to influence legislation and persuade political leaders to support the group’s position n 23 ways for lobbyists and organizations to lobby on the state and national level o Most often they: testify at legislative hearings, contact government officials directly, help draft legislation

Lobbying Congress o Members of Congress targets of lobbyists o Many lobbyists former members o Lobbyists work closely with those members who share their interests o Effectiveness depends on a lobbyists’ reputation for fair play and accurate information

Lobbying the Executive Branch o As the scope of federal government has expanded, so has lobbying of the executive branch. n Many potential access points n Lobbyists seek influence at formation and implementation stages. n An especially strong link exists between interest groups and regulatory agencies n Groups often monitor the implementation of the laws or policies they advocated.

Lobbying the Courts o Can take two forms: n Direct sponsorship n Filing amicus curiae briefs o Brief that informs the court of the group’s policy preferences, generally in guise of legal arguments o Interest groups also attempt to influence who is nominated and placed on the bench.

Grassroots Lobbying o A form of pressure-group activity that attempts to involve individuals who contact their representatives directly in an effort to influence policy o Persuading ordinary voters to act as the group’s advocates

Protest and Radical Activism o Some groups resort to more forceful, legal as well as illegal measures to attract attention to their cause. n Sometimes violent, illegal protest (Boston Tea Party, Shays’ Rebellion) n Civil Rights Movement o Marches with permits legal n PETA n Animal Liberation Front

Attempts to Reform Congressional Lobbying o Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act, 1946 o Lobbying Disclosure Act, 1995 n Employs a strict definition of lobbyist n Requires lobbyists to: o Register with the clerk of the House and the secretary of the Senate o Report their clients and issues and the agency or house they lobbied o Estimate the amount they are paid by each client n Makes it easier for watchdog groups to track the lobbying activity

Election Activities o Candidate recruitment and endorsements o Getting out the vote o Rating the candidates or office holders o Political action committees

What Makes An Interest Group Successful? o Leaders o Patrons and Funding n Person who finances a group or individual activity o Members n Collective goods n Free riders: potential members who fail to join a group because they can get the benefit, or collective good, sought by the group without contributing to it