Chapter 10
Interest Groups and the American Political
Tradition Interest group: organized group of
individuals who share some goals and want to INFLUENCE public policy (LAWS) Lobbyists can be employees or volunteers
A threat to the political system or contributors to its proper functioning? Alexis de Tocqueville James Madison
Federalist 10: http://wwwlcengage.com/politicalscience/janda
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Figure 10.1
Investing in Public Policy
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The Roles of Interest Groups
Negative: Each group pushes its own selfish interests
Positive: Represent people before their government Provide vehicle for political participation Educate members, the public, and elected
officials Highlight new issues through agenda
building Monitor programs important to members
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Figure 10.2
Labor Pains
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How Interest Groups Form
Pluralists view interest groups as positive way to foster discussion about issues Groups form as needed
However, group organization not always a given Or ineffective groups may form
Also important to consider how well a group is represented
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Interest Group Entrepreneur
Skills of interest group entrepreneur forming group key
Development of United Farm Workers good example of the importance of leadership Initial efforts to organize farm workers failed Cesar Chavez’s efforts and tactics made
group a viable force in negotiations for better wages and working conditions
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No Contract, No Wine!
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Who is Being Organized?
Main factors in successful interest group formation: Presence of adverse change or disturbance Strong leadership High socioeconomic level of potential
members Well-to-do, educated, and politically experienced
Not all interest groups have real membership
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Interest Group Resources MEMBERS -one of the most valuable
resources Pool of potential voters Source of financial resources
Groups use newsletters and emails to keep membership informed of work Membership retention key
New members needed to increase resources and influence Internet important in this effort
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The Free-Rider Problem Many persons and businesses support a
group’s goals but see no need to join
Benefits of a group’s efforts not always limited to that group Public television and radio
Many times groups offer other benefits only to members Information and networking
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Lobbyists Persons who represent the organization
before the government and provide information to the membership
Can be full-time employees of the organization or hired on retainer
Important to lobbying success: skill, knowledge, and contacts Primary job is to pass information on to
government officials
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Political Action Committees
Organization designed to pool contributions from group members
Donations then made to candidates for political office Can be affiliated with an interest group
or corporation, or organized separately Limited to $5,000 per congressional
candidate in each separate election Contributions in 2008 totaled $413
million from 3,600 PACs
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Largest PACs
Name of PAC Contributions in Last 2-year Reporting Cycle
National Association of Realtors
$4.0 million
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
$3.3 million
National Beer Wholesalers $2.9 million
American Bankers Association
$2.8 million
United Parcel Service $2.1 million15
Political Action Committees
PACs pragmatic and adaptable
Want to achieve immediate policy goals
Political scientists have found no direct link between the way members of Congress vote and PAC contributions Contributions do seem to affect work in
congressional committees
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Figure 10.3
Friendship is a Wonderful Thing
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Lobbying Tactics Tactics depend on stage of process and
institution targeted
Three major types of lobbying tactics: Direct lobbying Grassroots lobbying Information campaigns
Groups also use coalitions to influence policymaking
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Figure 10.4
The Tactics of Advocacy
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Politics of Global Change
European Union formed in 1992 by the Treaty of Maastricht
Currently 27 member countries Purpose is to harmonize
economies of member countries Fragmented government;
structure facilitates pluralist system and many interest groups
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Lobbyists Swarm at theEuropean Union
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Direct Lobbying Personal contact with policymakers
Not directly asking for a certain vote Lobbyists must provide good data to frame
issue in light most positive to their viewpoint
Testifying at public hearings or committee hearings
Legal advocacy, or litigation
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Sanchez Reaches Out
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Grassroots Lobbying Involves members of an interest group
May include supportive outsiders
Many tactics used, sometimes together with direct lobbying Letters, emails, faxes, and phone calls Demonstrations and protests Direct lobbying by important members
Internet facilitates communication and coordination of efforts
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Tea Party Activists
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An Image That Angered a Nation
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Information Campaigns
Organized efforts to bring an interest group’s viewpoints to the public to gain public backing
Public relations campaigns Sponsoring research
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Coalition Building
Where several organizations band together to lobby Use resources more efficiently Usually informal arrangements Diverse coalitions strongest
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Is the System Biased? American political system more
pluralist than majoritarian
Among Western democracies, U.S. is one of most pluralistic nations
For fairness, all interests in population must be represented and government should listen to the views of all major interests
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Pluralism Worldwide
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Membership Patterns Public opinion surveys show some sectors
of society better represented than others Bias towards the well-off financially
One survey: “the 10 percent of adults who work in an executive, managerial, or administrative capacity are represented by 82 percent” of organizations involved in advocacy on economic issues
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Citizen Groups Lobbying organizations built around policy
concerns unrelated to members’ vocational interests Benefits largely ideological and aesthetic “Public interest” groups
Some groups supported by other sources than their membership
These groups have “free riders” who benefit from programs without directly supporting the organization
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Business Mobilization Businesses mobilized in 1970s and
1980s when new regulatory agencies established
Business organizations can mobilize both members and their corporations
Much greater resources than citizen groups Business interests often divided, with one
industry facing another
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Figure 10.5
Interest Group Participants
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A Lott of Connections
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Reform Difficult to eliminate or reduce biases in
interest group system
Interest groups are organized way to petition government
If advantages of some groups too great, restrictions can be imposed Campaign finance reform efforts; restrictions
on PACs; disclosure rules for lobbyists Recent Supreme Court ruling on corporate
contributions negates some restrictions
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