Interest GroupsAP US GovernmentMrs. Lacks

Definition

An organized group of people who share some goals and try to influence public policy.

Purpose and priority of an interest group?Purpose and priority of a political party?

Role & Functions of Interest Groups (5)

Representation – interest of membersPolitical Participation – enable people to participateEducation – members, public, & government officials (About

issues of interest & why IG goals should be supported)Agenda building- push new issues onto public agenda

(Examples: Consumer protection & Veterans issues)Program Monitoring- watch how laws are administered (Assess

Federal or State Government regulation)

Growth of Interest Groups

History & evolution of “factions”De Tocqueville’s observations “forming associations”Anti-slavery association of 1833National Woman Suffrage Association of 1869The Grange of 1860s (anti-Railroad monopolies)

Significant Interest Group (IG) growth since 1942:From 600 IGs in 1942 to => 7000+ in 1995

Increased Demands of Government

More demands of public placed on Government:Civil Right & Anti-Vietnam War Legacy Improvements & advances in technologyRise of new issues almost every day

Diversity of Organized Interests

Three general categories of Interest Groups:Economic Interest GroupsCitizen Interest GroupsGovernment Interest Groups

Economic Interest Groups (4)

Business Groups

Organized Labor

Agricultural Groups

Professional Associations

Economic Interest Groups

1. Business: Chamber of CommerceTrade Associations (Alliance of Automobile Man.)

2. Organized LaborAFL-CIOAmer. Fed. Of Teachers

Trade Associations

An organization that represents firms within a particular industry

There are over 7,600 national trade associations in the United States, with a large number (approximately 2,000) headquartered in the Washington, DC area.

Labor Unions

legally recognized as representatives of workers in many industries.

most prominent unions are among public sector employees such as teachers and police.

Activity centers on collective bargaining over wages, benefits, and working conditions and on representing their members if management attempts to violate contract provisions.

Most are aligned with one of two larger umbrella organizations: the AFL-CIO created in 1955 and the Change to Win Federation, which split from the AFL-CIO in 2005. Both advocate policies and legislation on behalf of workers, and take an active role in politics.

Historical Statistics of the United States, vol. 1, 178; Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1998, 444; U.S. Census Bureau; Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2003, 432, 433.

Decline in Union Membership

Right to Work States

Right-to-work laws are statutes enforced in twenty-two US states, mostly in the southern or western U.S., allowed under provisions of the Taft-Hartly Act, which prohibit agreements between labor unions and employers making membership or payment of union dues or fees a condition of employment, either before or after hiring.

What’s a statute?•a law established by a legislative body •a permanent established rule or law, especially one involved in the running of a company or other organization

Economic Interest Groups

3. Agricultural Groups: American Farm Bureau (large farms)National Farmer’s Union (smaller farms)

4. Professional Associations: (AMA, ABA, American Optometric Assoc.)Also for advancement of women & minorities:

American Association for University WomenNational Association for Black Accountants

Citizen Groups

Citizen Groups: purpose is to promote group vision of public goodAmerican Civil Liberties Union & NRASingle issue groups (NAACP, Greenpeace, NOW)

527 Organizations

Tax exempt organization named after Section 527 of the US Internal Revenue Code

created primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates to federal, state or local public office.

Technically, almost all political committees, including state, local, and federal candidate committees, traditional political action committees, "Super PACs", and political parties are "527s."

However, in common practice the term is usually applied only to such organizations that are not regulated under state or federal campaign finance laws because they do not "expressly advocate" for the election or defeat of a candidate or party.

No upper limits on contributions, just must register with the IRS May not advocate for specific candidates; use issue advocacy Examples: EMILY’s List, Progress for the American Voter Fund,

Texans for Truth, etc.

Government Interest Groups

StateGovernments

ForeignGovernments

LocalGovernments

Coalitions and Divisions

Groups of similar interests join in coalitionsThe Military Coalition => military & VA benefitsEnvironmental & Nature Conservation groups

Groups might also divide or realign on various issues (ex. NAFTA issue)

Interest Group Resources

Members: attract, maintain, Free-rider problem (People or groups who benefit from the efforts of others without bearing any of the costs)

Lobbyists

PAC’s: an organization that pools campaign contributions from group members and donates those funds to candidates for political office

Litigating (law suits)

Members

Incentives to Join: Solitary incentives—pleasure, companionship Material incentives—money, things, services Purposive incentives—goal/purpose of the organization

itself

Lobbying

• Trying to influence governmental decisions, especially the voting decisions legislators make on proposed legislation.

• Credible information key to effectively lobbying Usually lobby officials of similar views Support draft legislation & research

Lobbyists know how government process works Many are former Executive appointees or Congressmen Problem: potential conflict of interest

Types of Lobbying

• Direct Lobbying: Trying to influence public policy through direct contact with government officials.

• Education Campaigns: Interest groups try to mobilize the public through education hoping that the public will demand government action. (ex. Civil Rights Movement)

• Advocacy Advertising: Newspaper, television, and radio advertisements that promote an interest group's political views. (Internet, direct mail)

• Grass-Roots Lobbying: Trying to influence public policy indirectly by mobilizing an interest group's membership and the broader public to contact elected officials.

PACs

Since election reforms of early ‘70s => PACs grew significantly at different rates (Fig. 10-1)

Various categories of PACs grew at different rates Corporate (most growth) Non-connected Trade, Membership, & Health Labor (in decline) Other PACs (Table 10-1 examples)

PAC spending has also changed with the Political climate

Super PACs

officially known as "independent-expenditure only committees” may not make contributions to candidate campaigns or parties, but may

engage in unlimited political spending independently of the campaigns Also unlike traditional PACs, they can raise funds from corporations,

unions and other groups, and from individuals, without legal limits Super PACs were made possible by two judicial decisions.

January 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court held in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that government may not prohibit unions and corporations from making independent expenditure for political purposes.

March 2010: Speechnow.org v. FEC, the federal Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit held that PACs that did not make contributions to candidates, parties, or other PACs could accept unlimited contributions from individuals, unions, and corporations (both for profit and not-for-profit) for the purpose of making independent expenditures.

The result of the Citizens United and SpeechNow.org decisions was the rise in 2010 of a new type of political action committee, popularly dubbed the "super PAC".

Growth of PACs (1974 – 2004)

PAC Spending (2003 – 2004)

Changes in PAC Spending to Congress

34

66

RepublicansDemocrats

PACs gave nearly two-thirds of their congressional campaign contributions to Democratic

candidates when the Democrats were the majority party on

Capitol Hill.

1993-1994

Changes in PAC Spending to Congress

5347

RepublicansDemocrats

When the Republican Party gained control of Congress,

that donation pattern reversed. During the 1997-

1998 election cycle, Republican candidates

received a majority of PAC contributions.

1997-1998

Issue Networks

an alliance of various interest groups and individuals who unite in order to promote a single issue in government policy

can be either domestic or international in scopemany are active solely within the domain of the InternetUsually push for a change in policy within the government

bureaucracyExample: the wide ranging network of environmental groups

and individuals who push for more environmental regulation in government policy

Iron Triangles

mutually beneficial relationships between interest groups, usually private businesses and corporations, congressional oversight committees, and federal agencies

The relationships within Iron Triangles seek only to benefit the three actors involved by pursuing a favorable policy for the interest group, at the expense of the constituencies that Congress and the Federal bureaucracy are supposed to represent, namely the general public

Issue Networks vs Iron Triangles?

Issue Networks seek to support the public interests, not private ones, by

seeking to benefit a wide ranging constituency that supports their side of the issue.

may oppose a policy pushed by a private interest group, and carried out by a government agency.

different Issue networks also compete with one another, as in the case of proponents and opponents of abortion.

Funding for Interest Groups

Foundation grantsOne study found that 1/3 of public interest lobbying groups received more than half of all their funds from foundation grants

Federal grants and contractsExpansion of federal grants in 1960s and 1970s benefited interest groups; cutbacks in 1980s hurt them

Funding for Interest Groups

Private FundingDirect mail: through the use of computers, mail is sent directly to a specialized audience

But this approach is also expensive—it must generate checks from at least 2 percent of the people contacted

The Problem with Bias

Those who are more affluent are more likely to join and be active

Business/professional groups are more numerous and better financed than those representing minorities, consumers, or the disadvantaged

Money and Influence

There is no systematic evidence that PAC money influences votes in Congress

Most members vote in line with their ideology and with their constituents

When an issue is of little concern to voters and ideology provides little guidance, there is a slight correlation between PAC contributions and votes

PAC money may influence politics in other ways, like access or committee actions

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

Regulating Interest Groups

A 1995 act provided a broader definition of lobbying and tightened reporting requirements

Tax code; nonprofits lose tax-exempt status if a “substantial part” of their activities involve lobbying

Campaign-finance laws limit donations by individual PACs

Public Attitudes Towards Interest Groups