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AmericanGovernment and
Politics Today
Chapter 7
Interest Groups
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Interest Groups: A Natural
Phenomenon In Democracy in America, Alexis de
Tocqueville wrote ...in no country of theworld has the principle of association beenmore successfully used or applied to agreater multitude of objectives than inAmerica.
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Interest Groups
If de Tocqueville was amazed at how associationshad flourished in the United States in 1834, hewould be astounded at the number of associations
today. Why have interest groups been so successful inthe United States?
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Why Do Americans Join
Interest Groups? Free rider problem. This is the difficulty
interest groups face in recruiting memberswhen the benefits they achieve can begained without joining the group.
Solidarity IncentivesMaterial Incentives
Purposive Incentives Retaining members
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Economic Interest Groups
Business interest groups (U.S. Chamber ofCommerce)
Agricultural Interest Groups (American Farm
Bureau Federation) Labor interest groups (American Federation of
Labor and the Congress of IndustrialOrganizations (AFL-CIO) )
Public Employee Unions (American Federation of
State, County and Municipal Employees)
Interest Groups of Professionals (American BarAssociation)
The Unorganized Poor
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What Makes an Interest
Group Powerful? Size and Resources Leadership
Cohesiveness
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Interest Group Strategies
Direct TechniquesLobbying
Publishing the voting records of members ofthe legislatureBuilding alliancesCampaign assistance
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Interest Group Strategies
(cont.) Indirect Techniques
Generating public pressure
Using constituents as lobbyistsUnconventional forms of pressure (marches,
rallies, and demonstrations)
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Regulating Lobbyists
The Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act(1946) required that individuals ororganizations that receive money for thepurpose of influencing national legislationmust register as a lobbyist or lobbyingorganization, and registered lobbyists mustmake public quarterly reports about all
lobbying activity. The Act was ineffective, however, as only
full-time lobbyists had to register.
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The Reforms of 1995
In 1995, Congress overhauled the lobbyinglegislation. The new legislation includesthe following provisions.A lobbyist is a person who spends 20 percent
of the time or more lobbying Congress or theexecutive branch.
Lobbyists who earn $5,000 or more must
register within 45 days of making contact witha member of Congress.
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The Reforms of 1995
Detailed reports must disclose the nature ofthe lobbying business twice a year.
Subsidiaries of foreign companies based inthe United States, must register aslobbyists.
Tax-exempt organizations and religiousorganizations are exempt from these
requirements.Recent Lobbying Scandals: Jack Abramoff
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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 ofpluralism. However, interest groupsare often led by upper-classindividuals, which argues for elite
theory. Interest Group Influence
Even the most powerful groups do notalways succeed in their demands.
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Questions for Critical Thinking
How have labor interest groups traditionallysought to influence policy?
Should foreign interest groups be banned, giventhat the interests of U.S. citizens frequently areintertwined with foreign interests (asemployees, for example)?
What kind of incentive would motivate you to
participate in an interest group? What are theincentives for the people that you know who areactive in interest groups?
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