Transcript Chapter 1
Chapter 7
Interest Groups
What Are Interest Groups?
An organized group that tries to
influence public policy
David Truman
One of first to study interest groups
Posed Disturbance Theory
Theory that interest groups form
in part to counteract the efforts of
other groups.
What Are Interest Groups?
Robert Salisbury
Expanded Truman’s theory
Groups form when resources are
inadequate or scarce
Stressed the role that leaders play:
entrepreneurs
Why Interest Groups are
Common
Many kinds of cleavages in the
country mean that there are many
different interests
Why Interest Groups are Common
The Constitution provides many
access points to government
Political parties are weak so interests
work directly on government
Kinds of Organized Interests
Generally, interest
groups is a term used
to describe the
numerous organized
groups that try to
influence government
policy.
Public Interest Groups
Economic Interest
Groups
Governmental Units
Political Action
Committees
Multi-Issue versus
Single Issue Groups
Profiles of Selected Interest
Groups
The Roots & Development of
American Interest Groups
National groups emerge (1830-1889)
Communication networks enabled nationalization
of groups
First were single-issue groups deeply rooted in
the Christian religious revivalism
Temperance, Peace, Education, and Slavery
Other groups emerged after the Civil War
Lobbyists
Interest group representative who seeks
to influence legislation that will benefit his
or her organization through political
persuasion.
NRA membership
The Roots & Development of
American Interest Groups
The Progressive Era (1890-1920)
Grew out of concern for impact of rapid
industrialization, influx of immigration, monopolistic
business practices, crime, poverty, poor working
conditions
Organized Labor
AFL
Clayton Act: allowed unions to organize free from
prosecution and guaranteed their right to strike
Business Groups and Trade Associations
Trade Associations: a group that represents a
specific industry
National Electric Light Association
Labor Union Membership
The Rise of the
Interest Group State
1960s and 1970s saw
a reappearance of the
Progressive spirit.
Civil Rights
Women’s Rights
Elderly
Poor
Consumers
Environment
Common Cause and
Ralph Nader’s Public
Citizen
Conservative
Backlash: Religious
and Ideological Groups
Jerry Falwell and the
Moral Majority
Pat Robertson, the
700 Club and the
Christian Coalition
National Rifle
Association
Business Groups, Corporations, and
Associations
Rise in business advocacy groups
More political than Chamber of Commerce
Example: The Business Roundtable
Created in 1972
Urges member to engage in direct lobbying to influence
the course of public policy
Most large corporations have
Own governmental affairs department
Employ D.C.-based lobbyists to keep them apprised
of legislation
Gave substantial soft money in the past
Still use PACS, 527s, and thus contribute a great deal
of money
Organized Labor
Began to emerge as powerful player
early in the 20th century
Could turn out members
Focus not only on labor issues, but also
other issues of concern to its members
More recently labor has lost some
clout
Membership down
What Do Interest Groups Do?
Lobbying
The activities of a group or
organization that seeks to influence
legislation and persuade political
leaders to support the group’s
position
23 ways for lobbyists and organizations
to lobby on the state and national level
Most often they: testify at legislative
hearings, contact government officials
directly, help draft legislation
Groups and Lobbyists
Lobbying Congress
Members of Congress = targets
of lobbyists
Many lobbyists former members
Former Senators Bob Dole (R-KS)
and George Mitchell (D-ME) earn
well over a million dollars a year as
Washington lobbyists.
Lobbying Congress
Today lobbyists try to develop
close relationships with members
to gain access to the process of
policy making.
Information is critical.
Lobbyists also work most closely
with representatives who are
their friends.
“Revolving Door”
The “Revolving Door”
Federal government workers leave to
take more lucrative positions in
private industry (lobbying, consulting,
executive positions)
This may give private interests a way
to improperly influence government
decisions
Attempts to Reform
Congressional Lobbying
Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act, 1946
Lobbying Disclosure Act, 1995
Employs a strict definition of lobbyist
Requires lobbyists to:
Register with the clerk of the House and the
secretary of the Senate
Report their clients and issues and the agency
or house they lobbied
Estimate the amount they are paid by each
client
Makes it easier for watchdog groups to track the
lobbying activity
The Ethics in Government Act
Lobbying the Executive Branch
As the scope of federal government
has expanded, so has lobbying of the
executive branch
Many potential access points
Lobbyist seek influence at formation and
implementation stages.
An especially strong link exists between
interest groups and regulatory agencies.
Lobbying the Courts
Can take two forms
Direct sponsorship
Filing amicus curiae briefs
Brief that informs the court of the group’s
policy preferences, generally in guise of
legal arguments
Interest groups also attempt to
influence who is nominated and
placed on the bench.
Grassroots Lobbying
A form of pressure-group activity that
attempts to involve individuals who
contact their representatives directly
in an effort to influence policy
Persuading ordinary voters to act as
the group’s advocates
Astroturf Lobbying
Efforts - usually led by interest
groups (or Corporations) with
deep financial pockets - to
create synthetic grass-roots
movements by aggressively
encouraging voters to contact
their elected officials about
specific issues.
Protest Activities
Some groups resort to more forceful,
legal as well as illegal measures to
attract attention to their cause.
Sometimes violent, illegal protest
(Boston Tea Party, Shay’s Rebellion)
Civil Rights Movement
Marches with permits legal
Election Activities
Candidate recruitment and
endorsements
Getting out the vote
Rating the candidates or office
holders
Political action committees
Incentives to Join
Solidary incentives—pleasure,
companionship
Material incentives—money, things,
services
Purposive incentives—goal/purpose of
the organization itself
2 types –Ideological and Public Interest
What Makes An Interest
Group Successful?
Leaders
Patrons and Funding
Person who finances a group or
individual activity
Members
Free riders: potential members fail to
join a group because they can get the
benefit, or collective good, sought by the
group without contributing to it.
Potential Versus Actual Interest
Group Members
Interest Groups as Factions
Madison (Federalist 10) – his description of
factions defines the interest groups found
today
Madison’s broad language “The latent causes
of faction are sown in the nature of man..”
predicted the potential for multiple factions on
many topics
Definition: People who share common goals,
interact with each other, and organize to affect
the public agenda.
Interest Groups
as linkage institutions
Strategies to influence the public agenda
* Information & education of public,
Congress, White House, etc.
* Mass media appeal
* Mass mailings
* Electioneering activities:
campaigning, issue ads, etc.
* Political Action Committees (PACs)
Interest Groups’ Influence
Positive: Advantage for democracy
because it allows individual citizens to
influence government in ways that are
beyond their ballot – links them to the
public agenda
Negative: The poorer citizens & those in
minorities are poorly represented / there is
too much money involved in the process
(elitist) / and there is too much opportunity
for influence of the public agenda to be
purchased