Interest Groups Why are groups so important Can

  • Slides: 12
Download presentation
Interest Groups • Why are groups so important? – Can individuals made change acting

Interest Groups • Why are groups so important? – Can individuals made change acting alone? • No, unless perhaps that person is extremely wealthy – Aggregation of resources • Money, members = power – Forming advocacy coalitions • Collective voice louder than single voice • Groups or “special interest groups” are sometimes viewed as a bad thing. Why?

Interest Groups: Background • Have been around since founding – Madison mentions them in

Interest Groups: Background • Have been around since founding – Madison mentions them in Federalist 10 • A relatively small number of groups until the 1960 s – Major growth in interest groups in the 1960 s • Why? 1) Diversity of population 2) Diffusion of power: more actors involved, so more room for lobbying 3) Increasing number of agencies/programs = more clients 4) Weakening of political parties: people turn to groups 5) Technology: Easier to form/maintain groups 6) Increasing public demands (resources and rights)

Kinds of Interest Groups • Institutional interest groups – Membership because you belong to

Kinds of Interest Groups • Institutional interest groups – Membership because you belong to a particular institution, such as Univ. of Kentucky • Share some interests with other students – Affordable tuition – Quality education • Membership interest groups – Groups you choose to join • NRA, Green Peace, AARP

Types of Membership Groups • Economic (private interest) – Are primarily interested in benefits

Types of Membership Groups • Economic (private interest) – Are primarily interested in benefits for members – Example: Labor Unions --> The economic security of the group’s members are directly at stake • Public interest groups – Seek to create broad benefits for everyone – Example: environmental groups – ***Non-members of public interest groups are freeriders • Other types of groups – Churches, for example

Why Do People Join Groups? • To gain some sort of a benefit. –

Why Do People Join Groups? • To gain some sort of a benefit. – Economic well being or gain – The desire to do good – The desire to belong to or identify with a group – The desire to find a way to make one’s voice heard – To get the freebies: magazines, journals, calendars, etc.

What Do Groups Do? • Lobbying (providing information) – Lobbying individual members of Congress,

What Do Groups Do? • Lobbying (providing information) – Lobbying individual members of Congress, Congressional Committees, members of bureaucracy • Lobbyists can provide information that is unavailable or unknown to elected officials • Has to be GOOD information, or else no one would listen to them again • Support candidates – Money to campaigns (directly or indirectly) – Votes (mobilization of members to vote for candidate)

When Lobbying Fails…. . Interest Groups turn to other strategies: • Mobilize members to

When Lobbying Fails…. . Interest Groups turn to other strategies: • Mobilize members to take action – Contacting members of Congress, boycotting (Mont. Bus Boycott), March on Washington • Sue in court – NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Inc • Most prominent victory was Brown v. Board • Public protests and “direct action” – Riots, Protests (World Trade Organization)

Groups and Power • We all know that some groups have more power than

Groups and Power • We all know that some groups have more power than others • Think of the most powerful interest groups in the United States: AARP AFL-CIO (Labor Unions) NRA Why do some groups have more power than others?

Differences in Group Power • Resources – Money – Information • Size of membership

Differences in Group Power • Resources – Money – Information • Size of membership – Not just membership, but ability to mobilize members • Voting, Contacting, Protest/Petition • Reasons for membership – Direct economic incentives – Material inducements • Congruence of goals with prevailing ideas and values – If public opinion supports a group’s cause

Free-rider Problem • Public goods are goods that can benefit everyone, and from which

Free-rider Problem • Public goods are goods that can benefit everyone, and from which no one can be excluded – Two characteristics: • non-rival -- one person's enjoyment or consumption of the good does not prevent others from using it • non-excludable -- people cannot be prevented from using the good • Examples: – Roads, Nat’l defense, clean air, end of world hunger etc.

Free-rider Problem • Non-excludability leads to the free rider problem: • A free rider

Free-rider Problem • Non-excludability leads to the free rider problem: • A free rider is a consumer or producer that benefits from the actions of others without paying – Because of the free rider problem, public goods are usually provided by the government, which levies taxes to pay for the goods

Overcoming Free-rider Problem • Small Groups – Peer pressure, solidarity incentives against free-riding •

Overcoming Free-rider Problem • Small Groups – Peer pressure, solidarity incentives against free-riding • Coercion – Lobbying governmental jurisdictions to hire, approve, or certify only their members, to force free-riders to join • Selective benefits – Journals, consulting services, etc. – AARP: World’s largest mail-order pharmacy, low-cost insurance, discounts on goods/products/services (all for $12. 50/yr. )