Transcript Chapter 10: Interest Groups Interest Groups: A Natural Phenomenon In Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville wrote “...

Chapter 10: Interest Groups
Interest Groups:
A Natural Phenomenon
In Democracy in America,
Alexis de Tocqueville wrote
“... in no country of the world
has the principle of association
been more successfully used or
applied to a greater multitude
of objectives than in America.”
Alexis de Tocqueville
Art Resources
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Interest Groups
• If de Tocqueville was
amazed at how
associations had flourished
in the United States in
1834, he would be
astounded at the number of
associations today.
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Interest Group Formation
• First Amendment guarantees facilitate group
formation
• Racial, ethnic and religious diversity gives rise
to diverse views
• Social changes, economic pressures and
technological developments disturb the status
quo, leading to group formation
• Examples: industrialization, urbanization, civil rights
movement
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Fortune’s “Power 25”
The 10 Most Effective Interest Groups
Rank
Organization
Website
1
National Rifle Association
www.nra.org
2
AARP
www.aarp.org
3
National Federation of Independent Business
www.nfibonline.com
4
American Israel Public Affairs Committee
www.alpac.org
5
Association of Trial Lawyers of America
www.atla.org
6
American Federation of Labor-Congress of
Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
www.aflcio.org
7
Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A.
www.uschamber.org
8
National Beer Wholesalers Association
www.nwba.org
9
National Association of Realtors
www.realtor.com
10
National Association of Manufacturers
www.nam.org
Fortune, May 2005
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Other Important Interest Groups
• American Civil Liberties
Union (ACLU)
• American Legion
• American Library
Association
• Handgun Control, Inc.
• Mothers Against Drunk
Driving (MADD)
• National Audubon Society
• National Association for
the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP)
• National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force
• National Organization for
Women (NOW)
• National Urban League
• Sierra Club
• Veterans of Foreign Wars
• World Wildlife Fund
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Interest Groups in the U.S.
• Why have interest groups been so successful in
the United States?
•
•
•
•
Advance personal economic well-being
Advocate personal opinion on an issue
Meet like-minded citizens
Way to participate in democratic society
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Problems with Interest Groups
• Free rider problem
• Solidarity Incentives
• Material Incentives
• Purposive Incentives
• Retaining members
• The “iron triangle” (interest groups, members of
Congress, and federal agencies)
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Economic Interest Groups
• Formed to advance economic interests of
members
•
•
•
•
•
•
Trade and Professional Associations
Business Interest Groups
Agricultural Interest Groups
Labor Interest Groups
Public Employee Unions
The unorganized poor
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Contemporary Interest Groups
SOURCE: Frank R. Baumgartner and Beth L. Leech, “Interest Niches and Policy Bandwagons: Patterns of
Interest Group Involvement in National Politics,” Journal of Politics 63 (November, 2001): 1191–1213.
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Other Types of Interest Groups
• Environmental Groups
• Sierra Club
• Public Interest Groups
• Nader organizations
• Common Cause
• The League of Women Voters
• Single-issue focused groups
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving
• Foreign Policy Groups
• The Coalition to Save Darfur
Ralph Nader
© 2004 AP/Wide World Photos
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Labor Interest Groups
• Labor unions seek agreements with businesses
and work to influence government policy
• To protect workers’ jobs and benefits
• Ensure safety of workplace
• AFL-CIO: A union of unions with 11 million
workers
• 2005: Change to Win Coalition
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Decline in Union Membership
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Union Membership
• About 13% of workers
now represented by a
union (down from 35% in
1955)
• Decline in political clout
• Hurt by global
competition
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(AP Photo/The Capital Times/David Sandell)
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What Do Interest Groups Do?
• Inform
• Lobby
• Campaign Activities
• Political Action Committees
• Issue Advocacy
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What Makes an Interest
Group Powerful?
• Sources of power
• Size
• Resources
• Leadership
• Cohesiveness
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Not All Interest Groups Are Created Equal
This story shows Sarah
Palin and tea party
supporters during a rally
and describes their views
on government spending.
Airdate: 4/14/2010
Click the icon to open the movie
Video Supplied by Motion Gallery
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Video Questions
1. Why are the views of tea party supporters
somewhat contradictory?
2. What do the demographics of tea party
groups reveal?
3. Do you see tea party groups as organized?
Do they have political clout?
4. What elements of effective interest groups
do they lack?
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Interest Group Strategies
• Direct Techniques
• Lobbying
• Publishing the voting records of legislators
• Building alliances
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• Campaign assistance
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Interest Group Strategies (cont)
• Indirect Techniques
• Generating public pressure
• Using constituents as lobbyists
• Unconventional forms of pressure (marches, rallies,
and demonstrations)
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Regulating Lobbyists
• The Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act (1946)
• Required registration of lobbyists
• Proven ineffective, however, as only full-time
lobbyists had to register.
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The Reforms of 1995
• In 1995, Congress overhauled the lobbying
legislation. New requirements:
• A lobbyist is a person who spends 20 percent of the
time or more lobbying Congress, their staffs or the
executive branch.
• Lobbyists who earn $5,000 or more must register
within 45 days of making contact with a member of
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Congress.
The Reforms of 1995 (cont)
• Detailed reports must disclose the nature of the
lobbying business twice a year.
• Subsidiaries of foreign companies based in the
United States, must register as lobbyists.
• Tax-exempt organizations and religious
organizations are exempt from these requirements.
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Recent
Lobbying
Scandals:
Jack Abramoff
© 2006 Time, Inc./Getty Images. Reprinted by permission.
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Interest Groups and
Representative Democracy
• Interest Groups: Elitist or Pluralist?
• The existence of interest groups would appear to be
an argument in favor of pluralism. However, interest
groups are often led by upper-class individuals, which
argues for elite theory.
• Interest Group Influence
• Even the most powerful groups do not always
succeed in their demands.
• The most successful groups focus on single issue.
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Interest Groups and the
Operation of the Economy
This story examines the
effects of bankruptcy on
GM and the country’s
economy.
Airdate: 9/3/2009
Click the icon to open the movie
Video Supplied by Motion Gallery
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Video Questions
1. Which interest groups supported the GM
bailout? Which groups were likely opposed?
2. How do consumers feel about the
government helping out ailing industries?
Are they likely to make their views known?
3. Why was bankruptcy the best option for
GM?
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Interest Groups
and the
Policy Process
Courtesy of Handgun Control, Inc.
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Questions for
Critical Thinking
1. How have labor interest groups traditionally sought to
influence policy?
2. How did interest groups influence the health care reform
policy process?
3. What would motivate you to participate in an interest
group? What are the incentives for the people that you
know who are active in interest groups?
4. What are the concerns of interest groups which are most
active in your community?
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Web Links
•
•
•
•
•
The Center for Public Integrity
Opensecrets.org-Money in Politics Data
Common Cause—Holding Power Accountable
Federal Election Commission
Public Citizen
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Web Links
•
•
•
•
•
AFL-CIO—America’s Union Movement
Moveon.org: Democracy in Action
Christian Coalition of America
Third Wave Foundation
AARP
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