Interest Groups Chapter 9 Public Policy and Interest

Interest Groups Chapter 9

Public Policy and Interest Groups • Public policy – all of the goals that a government pursues in the many areas of human affairs in which it is involved • Interest group – private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape public policy

Lobbying • Is usually defined as those activities by which group pressures are brought to bear on legislators and the legislative process.

Interest Groups at Work • Propaganda – a technique of persuasion aimed at influencing individual or group behaviors

Grassroots • The public rally support for an issue or a candidate • Grassroots campaigns often include mass e-mails, phone calls, letters, or postcards to legislators

Types of Interest Groups • Business groups – National Association of Manufacturers • Labor groups – AFL-CIO • Agricultural groups – National Farmers Union, American Farm Bureau • Professional groups – American Bar Association, American Medical Association

Types of Interest Groups • Promote causes – ACLU, Sierra Club • Promote the welfare of certain groups – NAACP, AARP • Religious organizations – National Council of Churches, American Jewish Congress • Public-interest group – seeks to institute certain public policies of benefit to all or most people in this country