Interest Groups o Madisons Federalist 10 and the

Interest Groups o Madison’s Federalist #10 and the “mischiefs of faction” n Pluralism

Types of Interest Groups o o o Economic (Business, Professional, Labor) Ideological/Single-issue Public Interest/Research Groups (PIRGs) Foreign policy Government

Interest Group Resources o o o Size Unity Organization Activism & Mobilization Money

Washington’s Big 10 o Fortune’s list of most powerful groups: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. NRA AARP Nat. Fed. Of Ind. Business AIPAC Assn. of Trial Lawyers AFL-CIO Chamber of Commerce Nat. Beer Wholesalers Assn. Nat. Assn. of Realtors Nat. Assn. of Manufacturers

Purposes & Functions of Interest Groups o o Promoting Agenda Education of Public Election of Favorable Candidates Mobilizing Membership

Interest Group Strategy o o Shape policy to be consistent with group goals, while Maintaining support within the group and avoiding the “free rider” (Mancur Olson, The Logic of Collective Action)

Interest Group Tactics o Lobbying n n o o Endorsements PAC Contributions n n n o o Revolving door Iron Triangles Soft money vs. hard money Mc. Cain-Feingold 527 s Initiating Litigation Amicus curiae

Lobbying: A Big Business o o In 1968, 62 lobbyists in D. C. In 2005, 34, 000 lobbyists in 4, 755 firms From 1998 -2004, $13 billion spent on lobbying The Revolving Door in Congressmen make ~$150 k year; as lobbyists, former congressmen can count on $300 k (after 1 year “cooling off” period) n 240 members of Congress have become lobbyists (40 for pharmaceuticals alone) n Currently 6 former members of Fed. Energy Regulatory Commission work for oil companies n China has spent $20 million in direct lobbying efforts since 1997