Interest Groups

Why do we have them?• Society has many cleavages (race,

religion, class, etc) that want their say• People have lots of access to government

in general (local, state, federal)• Sometimes political parties are weak and

need “help” finding their way• Government actions and policies,

economic developments, and social movements create involvement

• Incentives (solidarity, material, and purposive) get people to join.

Where do they come from?• Historically, interest groups have always

been around- see Boston Tea Party, Great Awakening

• Unions brought “bottom up” changes

• 1900-1920 gives us NAACP, AMA, Chamber of Commerce, American Farm Bureau, Anti-Defamation League, etc.

• The 1960’s and 70’s saw a huge increase in interest groups- roughly 70% formed in these years

What do they do?• Interest groups look to influence public

policy

• Institutional interests represent other organizations and what they want, like a lawyer working for a lumber association.

• Membership Interests are run by members and represent a specific demographic, like the NAACP or the Sierra Club

• There are over 7000 interest groups today

What about the money?• Often interest groups are funded by

foundations• The federal government also supports

interest groups through grants• Interest groups also are funded through

direct mail solicitations, which have special “rules”– A “teaser” on the envelope– An emotional connection to the audience– Endorsements from someone famous– Personalized name

How do they affect politics?• Interest groups are seen as favoring wealth• They provide INFORMATION to influence

politicians• POLITICAL CUES let politicians know what the

values of a group are, and how those values compare to his

• Legislators are RATED by interest groups as for or against certain causes

• Grass roots lobbying tries to change officials minds using pressure by issue voters

• 527 groups are barely regulated interest groups set up to influence elections

Can they be stopped?

• Campaign finance reform limits the size of donations from interest groups

• The rise of and wide ranging views of PAC’s shows the demand for interest groups

• Fed Gov’t has made bills forcing most lobbyists to disclose clients, income, and expenditures

• Tax codes and campaign finance laws make it hard for an single I.G. to influence a politician