chapter 9

Which of the following types of interest groups is not classified as an economic interest group?

agricultural

Which of the following are considered reasons for Americans' broad participation in groups, such as volunteer organizations?

a tradition of free association the importance of religion the prominence of public education

goods are those that belong to all people and cannot be withheld on an individual basis, such as clean air or water.

Collective

Labor group political action committees typically favor contributing to which of the following groups?

Democrats

Which of the following represents a shared view of pluralists and their critics?

Interest groups are important to bringing the concerns of groups of individuals to the attention of government.

Which definition refers to an interest group?

an organization seeking to influence government policy

Which of the following are private goods? (Choose every correct answer.)

retirement plans jobs

There are roughly ______ registered lobbyists who work in Washington.

12,000

One example of an environmental interest group is

Greenpeace.

Which type of group typically has a problem with free riders?

citizens' groups

The incentives that most noneconomic groups offer include ______

collective goods

The incentives that most noneconomic groups offer include ______.

collective goods

The interest-group system tends to work primarily in favor of

corporate interests.

While the relationship between actors in an iron triangle tends to be more long-lasting, issue networks tend to ______.

disband once an issue is settled

members of Congress

electoral support

______ refers broadly to efforts by groups to influence public policy through contact with public officials.

Lobbying

Which group represents the largest agricultural interest group in the United States today?

the American Farm Bureau

Lobbying elected officials includes which of the following activities?

face-to-face meetings with members of Congress

Interest groups tend to rely on the courts to advance their policy goals when they have

faced legislative hurdles. a low chance of achieving their goals through elected officials.

True or false: Both pluralists and their critics agree that interest groups have little influence over the government.

false

Super PACs are legally forbidden from which of the following?

giving money directly to political parties giving money directly to candidates

Which type of workers make up an increasing share of union workers?

government workers

An organization that seeks to influence government decision making is referred to as a(n)

interest group

How have advances in technology affected the free-rider problem?

It has lessened it.

Which of the following statements are true concerning interest groups?

They broaden the range of issues that lawmakers address. They can support controversial issues that lawmakers often avoid.

Which of the following is a way in which special interest groups can give money to candidates?

by forming a political action committee (PAC)

government agency

constituent service

Which of the following are ways in which members of Congress benefit from ties to lobbyists? (Choose every correct answer.)

Lobbyists provide information on specific pieces of legislation. Lobbyists identify bills that need their attention.

_______ goods refer to benefits that are given directly to particular individuals as a result of belonging to an interest group.

Private

______ incentives include the satisfaction that you are participating in a worthy effort.

Purposive

Which of the following are legal tactics used by interest groups to influence policymakers?

making campaign contributions engaging in public relations lobbying

Outside lobbying is aimed at bringing ______ pressure to bear on policymakers.

public

Interest group influence is particularly strong among ______ agencies that are responsible for overseeing the nation's business sectors.

regulatory

How are issue networks formed?

They are the result of the fact that individuals have interests and expertise regarding particular policy issues despite disagreeing on the outcome.

True or false: According to political scientist Mancur Olson, interest groups with smaller memberships usually prevail because they are able to join together and pool resources.

True:: Smaller groups can pool resources, giving them larger operating budgets than many large groups.

A group that raises and spends money for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election is known as ______.

a political action committee

A simple way to describe citizens' groups is that they are groups

anyone can join.

interest group

beneficial policy decisions

Most citizens' groups are ______ interest groups because they focus on a specific issue, such as the environment.

single-issue

The type of interest group that addresses issues of concern to the general public and not just the group's members is called a(n)---- interest group

citizens

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission involved which issue affecting interest groups?

the limit on corporate and union spending in federal elections

Which of the following types of interest groups is classified as an economic type?

agriculture

The effort of the writers of the Constitution to devise a governing system that would guard against tyranny of the majority resulted in which consequence?

America's system of divided power provides abundant opportunities for interest groups to achieve their policy goals.

When lobbying Congress, what is the safest strategy?

Be aboveboard.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, which interest group spends the most money each year lobbying members of government?

Chamber of Commerce

congressional committee

Choice, budget support for a program budget support for a program

,The states that border Mexico all have ______ registered lobbyists

more than 800

lobbying involves bringing public pressure on policymakers, such as organizing a letter writing campaign to members of Congress.

outside

Interest groups that are not directly involved in litigation may file amicus curiae briefs

to encourage a ruling that is beneficial to their cause.

Which of the following are the chief targets of interest groups when they lobby the executive branch?

top officials of federal agencies

Which type of interest group represents business firms of a particular kind, such as insurance companies?

trade association

Which of the southern states has fewer than 400 registered lobbyists?

South Carolina

Which of the following are among interest groups' judicial lobbying options?

influencing the selection of federal judges lawsuits filing amicus curiae briefs

is an informal but relatively stable group of persons from Congress, executive agencies, and interest groups with a mutual interest in a particular policy area.

iron triangle

Compared with the percentage of United States workers who were union members in the 1950s and 1960s, the percentage today is ______.

lower

federal agency

matches Choice, support for their administrative programs support for their administrative programs

What was Madison's constitutional solution to the problem of factions?

the system of checks and balances

True or false: Those interest groups that are poorly organized run the risk of being ignored politically.

true

Interest groups

electoral support to members of Congress

The United States provides a favorable environment for interest groups because ______.

the separation of powers and federalism provide numerous points of access for interest groups to try to influence policymakers the tradition of free speech and association means there are few legal barriers to the activities of interest groups the tradition of people joining together encourages them to look to interest groups as a way of influencing policymakers