Interest Groups

Interest Group Examples

• AARP (American Association of Retired People)• Sierra Club (Environment)• NAACP (National Association for the

Advancement of Colored People)• NOW (National Organization of Women)• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)• PIRGs (Public Interest Research Groups)• NEA (National Education Association)• AMA (American Medical Association)

Thousands of interest groups in the US

What Are Interest Groups?

• Interest Group (special interests) is anorganization of people with similarpolicy goals that tries to influence thepolitical process to try to achieve thosegoals.• Interest groups try to influence everybranch and every level of government.

Interest Groups

• Interest groups want to PASS POLICY• BUT don’t run their own candidates for

office• Interest groups can “access,” or influence

many points and levels of government

Remember FACTIONS?

• Interest groups have been part of the American political landscape since the country’s founding.

• The open nature of the American government invites organized political participation.

What do interest groups do?

• The most common and effective interestgroup technique is lobbying or seeking toinfluence and persuade others to supportyour group's position.• Lobbyists are hired by your college oruniversity, businesses, foreign countries,trade associations, and anyone else wantingtheir voice heard on policy matters.• A Lobbyists is someone whose task it is toinfluence legislation or policymaking.

Interest Groups Techniques

• Indirect Techniques:Generating PublicPressure– Groundswell of

public pressure– Use Constituents asLobbyists– Building Alliances

with other groups

• Direct Techniques:Lobbying– Private meetings– Testifying– Drafting Legislation– Social Occasions– Providing Political Info– Supplying Nomination

suggestions

Honest Lobbyists?• A lobbyist must be honest and truthful if he orshe wants to remain effective.• Access to lawmakers is critical and if a lobbyistgets a reputation of being untruthful ordisingenuous legislators doors will close.• Of course, lobbyists put their group's position ina favorable light but good lobbyists will alsomake lawmakers aware of the downsides of abill and the arguments on the other side as well.

What makes Interest Groups Successful?

• In general three factors tend to lead to interestgroup success:• 1. Leaders – having a prominent leader aids in thereputation of the group and enhances a group'sability to attain its goals.• 2. Patrons and Funding – funding is critical.Without money, it is hard to get your message out.• 3. Members – a group must have members to besuccessful. Organizing members allows forstrength in numbers and pooling of financialsupport.

Pluralism and its Critics• Three criticisms ofpluralism are1. It gives short shift tothose who are notorganized.2. It fails to deal with thefact that some interestshave more power thanothers.3. It seems to leave no roomfor consideration oftranscendent nationalinterests.

• Pluralist theoryargues that interestgroup activity bringsrepresentation to all.• Interest groupscompete andcounterbalance oneanother.

Hyperpluralist Theory

• Hyperpluralists argue that wheninterest groups become so powerfulthat they dominate the politicaldecision-making structures theyrender any consideration of thegreater public interest impossible.

Criticisms of Interest Groups

• Interest Groups have been criticized for– Ignoring the wider interest of society– Producing confusion and deadlock in

Congress– Generating so much emotion that theymake reasoned discussion difficult– Having too much influence

Interest Groups and Pluralism Theory

• Many interests and groups prevents one from being too powerful

• Linkage Institution – links people and government, gives voice to people

• Federalist 10 – factions are bad, but a necessary evil

• All groups are not equal, but gives voice

Interest Groups and Hyperpluralism

• Interest groups causing political chaos• TOO MANY GROUPS• Government trying to please everyone,

resulting policies are haphazard and ill-conceived

• Ex. – support removing business regulations and support environment protection???– impossible

What makes Interest Groups powerful?

• Size• Power of AARP – 25% of the population

50 and over• Intensity – drive or effort put forth (single

issue groups fall into this category)• Money• form a PAC (Political Action Committee) –

donate money to campaigns and advertising

Types of Interest Groups

• Economic – Labor unions, agricultural, Business, Professional

• Consumer – public interest, environmental• Equality and Justice – racial issues,

gender issues, minority issues

How Interest Groups Work

1. Lobby – (aka Buttonholing) influence government policy

Ex - call/email officials, meet and socialize, go to lunch, testify at committee hearings, ask for political favors

2. Electioneering – keep people in office who are sympathetic to group wants and needs

Ex. - GIVE MONEY TO CAMPAIGNS

How Interest Groups Work

3. Litigation – (aka amicus curiae – “friends of the court”) (1) File briefs that consist of a written argument for their side

OR… (2) groups sue business or gov for action4. Appealing to the public – make the group’s

own public image look good5. The “Ratings Game” – interest groups rate

politicians based on voting records

How do Interest groups get money?

• Donations (YOU!)• Foundations

Ex. - Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation

• Federal grants and contracts

The Revolving Door

• Government officials quit their jobs or don’t get reelected

• Then take government jobs for a certain lobbying agency

• Fear that private interests by business have an unfair influence on gov decisions

• Ex- official does favor in return for later job

Federal Disclosure Act of 1995

• Defining what is a lobbyist• Defining lobbyist actitivies• Defining lobbyist contacts• Registration procedures• Penalties

Federal guidelines for lobbyists

• Any person who:• Receives compensation of $5,000 or more per six-month

period, or makes expenditures of $20,000 or more per six-month period, for lobbying.

• Makes more than one lobbying contact.• Spends 20 percent or more of his or her time over a six-

month period on lobbying activities for an organization or a particular client.

• Unless each of these criteria is met, there is no registration requirement for that individual.

• An organization is required to register

Points to consider…

• Interest Groups:• Promote interest in public affairs• Provide useful information• Serve as watchdogs• Represent the interest of Citizens

• Which of the following describes a fundamental difference between political parties and interest groups?

A) Political parties are prohibited from sponsoring campaign advertisements, and interest groups are not

B) Political parties represent broad arrays of issues, whereas interest groups are more likely to focus on narrow sets of issues

C) Political parties are more likely to focus on national politics, whereas interest groups focus on local politics

D) Political parties tend to have strength in particular regions, whereas the power of interest groups is more consistent across states

E) Political parties are required to disclose their campaign finance activities, whereas interest groups are not

Interest groups engage in all of the following activities EXCEPT

A) testifying before congressional committees

B) sponsoring issue advocacy adsC) lobbying federal agenciesD) filing federal lawsuitsE) using the franking privilege

• Which of the following groups would be LEAST likely to maintain a national lobbying organization in Washington, D.C.?

A) EnvironmentalistsB) Public housing tenantsC) NursesD) Automobile manufacturersE) Automobile assembly line workers

• An interest group would likely have the greatest influence on policy matters involving

A) narrow issues, only a few interest groups, and technical information

B) broad, highly visible national issuesC) broad foreign policy issuesD) major constitutional questions about civil rights

and libertiesE) areas in which members of Congress have

considerable expertise and commitment