Transcript America’s Democratic Republic

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
America’s Democratic
Republic
Chapter 8: Interest Groups
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
In This Chapter
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How interest groups fit in democratic and 18th-century
republican doctrines
Why interest groups have proliferated
How interest groups lobby the government
How interest groups try to mobilize the grass roots
Biases in the interest group system
Why large corporations hold a privileged position
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Introduction
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Constitutional protections have allowed
interest groups to form and flourish
Americans have historically been
suspicious of groups banding together to
promote their interests
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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
The Role of Interest Groups:
Contrasting Views
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Interest groups: private organizations that
try to shape public policies
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Voluntary
Made up of people who share an interest or
cause
Lobby: the act of communication between an
interest group and government officials
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18th-Century Republican Doctrine
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Constitution does not mention interest
groups
Framers were suspicious of those who
banded together to try to influence the
thinking of government officials
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James Madison’s factions
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18th-Century Republican Doctrine
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Federalist No. 10
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Written by Madison
Defined interests groups
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Allowed that they could be a numerical minority
Controlling factions
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elections
Large republic that would
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Afford the opportunity of many interest groups to form
make it difficult for one group to tyrannize others
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18th-Century Republican Doctrine
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Interest Groups as a Threat to Political
Equality
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Inequality in resources
Unchecked power of some groups
Anti-majoritarian
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18th-Century Republican Doctrine
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Interest Groups as a Road to Political
Equality (Pluralist Theory)
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Free elections do not adequately address
issues or communicate public preferences
Interest groups are easy to create and open
for membership
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18th-Century Republican Doctrine
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Interest Groups as a Road to Political
Equality (Pluralist Theory)
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Federalism, separation of powers and checks
and balances ensure that government is open
to many interest groups
Ease of formation and accessibility of
government ensures that many views can be
heard and considered
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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Interest Group Universe
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Types of Interest Groups
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Private
Business
 Professions
 Labor
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Public
Ideological
 Nonprofit sector
 Governmental entities
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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Why There Are So Many Interest
Groups
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Constitution
Diverse interests
More active government
Disturbance theory
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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
What Interest Groups Do
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Lobbying: the act of contacting
government officials or their staffs
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Inside game
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“one-on-one” persuasion
Outside game
Mobilization of constituencies
 Shaping public opinion
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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
What Interest Groups Do
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Inside Game
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Congress
Develop personal relationships
 Contribute to campaigns
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Executive Branch
Personal contact
 Long-term relations
 Campaign contributions
 Disseminate knowledge or technical information
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What Interest Groups Do
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Inside Game
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Courts
Generally considered unethical
 Amicus curiae briefs
 Involvement in the appointment process
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What Interest Groups Do
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Outside Game
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Mobilizing group’s membership
Organizing the district
Involvement in campaigns and elections
Molding public opinion
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Interest Groups and Inequality in
American Politics
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Representational
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Labor unions are weak, so business and
profession groups have an advantage
Resource inequalities
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Those in business and professionally related
interest groups tend to be well off
Political Action Committees (PACs)
 527 organizations
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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Interest Groups and Inequality in
American Politics
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Access Inequality
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Some groups can play a central role in
forming and carrying out government policies
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Iron triangles
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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Curing the Mischief of Factions
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Reform
Transparency
Regulating the impact of money
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Interest Groups and the
Democratic Republic
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What is the “public interest”?
Potential for interest groups to sway public
officials
Anti-majoritarian
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Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Summary
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Interest groups attempt to influence what
government does
Theorists are split on the necessity and
effectiveness of groups in politics
Because of their superior resources,
businesses are better represented in their
interests than those of a noneconomic
group
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Question 1
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Which of the following disperse
governmental power?
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Federalism
Checks and balances
Separation of powers
All of these
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Answer
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Which of the following disperse
governmental power?
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Federalism
Checks and balances
Separation of powers
All of these
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Question 2
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__________ are organizations and
associations that try to gain protections or
benefits for people beyond their own
members, often for society at large.
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Private interests
Public interests
Universal interests
Individual interests
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman
Answer
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__________ are organizations and
associations that try to gain protections or
benefits for people beyond their own
members, often for society at large.
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Private interests
Public interests
Universal interests
Individual interests
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Question 3
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Lobbyists spent around __________ on
lobbying efforts in Congress in 2008.
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$30 million
$830 million
$3.3 billion
$100 billion
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Answer
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Lobbyists spent around __________ on
lobbying efforts in Congress in 2008.
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$30 million
$830 million
$3.3 billion
$100 billion
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Question 4
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Which of these are entities created by
interest to collect money and make
contributions to candidates in federal
elections?
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PACs
PLCs
SECs
ACCs
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Answer
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Which of these are entities created by
interest to collect money and make
contributions to candidates in federal
elections?
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PACs
PLCs
SECs
ACCs
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Question 5
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How do money and other resources aid
interest groups in their ability to influence
Congress?
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