Chapter 11: Groups and Interests

When an organization's members send letters and make telephone calls to their elected officials on behalf of an interest group, it is called ( 1 ) lobbying. This contrasts with ( 2 ) lobbying, which is designed to mimic a spontaneous outpouring of support by members but is, in actuality, carefully orchestrated by an interest group. - grassroots - direct - astroturf

1. Grassroots 2. Astroturf

( 1 ) are the most closely related type of interest group to public interest groups. - Ideological groups - Public-sector groups - Professional associations

1. Ideological groups

( 1 ) benefits are provided in the form of emails, conferences, training events, and other communications from a group. Online advocacy organizations are less likely than traditional associations to offer ( 2 ) benefits to members. - informational - solidary - material - purposive

1. Informational 2. Material

Interest groups may use ( 1 ) in mass-circulation magazines, newspapers, and television to improve their standing in the community at large, whereas ( 2 ) occurs when a lobbying group urges its members to contact their elected representatives directly with letters, emails, or phone calls. - institutional advertising - grassroots mobilization - counterlobbying - direct mail

1. Institutional advertising 2. Grassroots mobilization

The following terms are often confused: ( 1 ) are concerned with influencing the policies of government, ( 2 ) are interested in influencing who gets elected, though they do not run their own candidates. Finally, ( 3 ) are interested in the personnel of government, often directly running individuals for political office. - Interests Groups - Political Parties - political action committees

1. Interests Groups 2. Political Action Committees 3. Political parties

During the 1890s and 1930s, we saw a massive increase in the number of interest groups because of ( 1 ) - Strong economic growth - increasing partisanship in government - rapid growth in the size of government - reduction in government regulations

1. Rapid growth in the size of government

Which of the following statements about interest groups is accurate? - Interest groups are concerned with the personnel of government, whereas political parties are concerned with the policies of government. - A PAC is a kind of interest group that tries to influence court rulings. - Interest groups must be licensed by the government in order to operate. - A very large number of interest groups would suggest a more pluralistic society.

A very large number of interest groups would suggest a more pluralistic society.

Which of the following statements about PACs are accurate? - Evidence suggests that interest groups' campaign contributions influence behavior in Congress. - Given the negative public opinion of PACs, politicians are increasingly reluctant to take PAC donations. - The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 curtailed the power of PACs during the 1970s and 1980s. - The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) failed to restrict PAC operations overall.

Correct Answers: - Evidence suggests that interest groups' campaign contributions influence behavior in Congress. - The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) failed to restrict PAC operations overall. Incorrect Answers: - The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 curtailed the power of PACs during the 1970s and 1980s. - Given the negative public opinion of PACs, politicians are increasingly reluctant to take PAC donations.

Which of the following groups are generally considered unrepresented in Washington, D.C.? - The poor - The elderly - The young - The homeless

Correct Answers: - The poor - The homeless Incorrect Answers: - The elderly - The young

Which three political action committee (PAC) groupings were most supportive overall to Republican candidates? - construction - labor - ideology/single issue - transportation - agribusiness - finance, insurance, and real estate

Correct Answers: - finance, insurance, and real estate - agribusiness - ideology/single issue Incorrect Answers: - transportation - labor - construction

Which of the following statements accurately describe how lobbyists interact with Congress? - Lobbyists provide information to busy members of Congress. - Lobbyists can often have direct input into the language that appears in legislation. - Studies have found little correlation between the amount of money a lobbyist provides to a representative and the amount of attention a lobbyist receives in return. - Lobbyists give expensive gifts to members of Congress in exchange for favorable legislation.

Correct answers: - Lobbyists can often have direct input into the language that appears in legislation. - Lobbyists provide information to busy members of Congress. Incorrect answers: - Studies have found little correlation between the amount of money a lobbyist provides to a representative and the amount of attention a lobbyist receives in return. - Lobbyists give expensive gifts to members of Congress in exchange for favorable legislation.

Many interest groups formed as a result of the New Politics movement. Choose all of the following issues that these groups focused on. - women's rights - concerns of the elderly - Second Amendment rights - environmental protection

Correct answers: - Women's rights - Environmental protection Incorrect answers: - Concerns of the elderly - Second Amendment rights

T/F: Lobbying refers to direct contact by an interest group specifically with a member of Congress

False

Which of the following is an example of an outsider strategy? - grassroots mobilization - lobbying - negotiating with key decision makers - litigating court cases

Grassroots mobilization

How can interest groups use ballot initiatives to achieve their goals? - Ballot initiatives give interest groups an opportunity to influence the court system. - Ballot initiatives are an important part of iron triangles. - Direct lobbying such as the ballot initiative gives interest groups access to influential members of Congress. - Groups can put laws of interest directly to the voters, bypassing the legislative process.

Groups can put laws of interest directly to the voters, bypassing the legislative process.

One of the more famous quotes in political science (yes, there are famous quotes among political scientists) is Schattschneider's "[t]he flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper-class accent." What did he mean by this? - The wealthy buy votes from members of Congress. - Interest-group politics tends to favor business and corporate interests. - Those groups that win on some issues do not always win on other issues. - Interest groups are free to compete for influence in the government.

Interest-group politics tends to favor business and corporate interests.

Sort the following activities into whether they are more characteristic of interest groups or of political parties. - more limited in scope - try to influence the policies of government through lobbying - more interested in the personnel of government - run candidates in elections

Interests Groups: - try to influence the policies of government through lobbying - more limited in scope Political Parties: - run candidates in elections - more interested in the personnel of government

Which of the following represent the things that most interest-group organizational structures have in common? - money, an agency or office, a congressional ally, and a license to operate - leadership, money, and members - a PAC, an agency or office, money, and members - leadership, members, and a lobbying arm

Leadership, money, and memebers

Sort the following statements into whether they are truer of membership associations or staff organizations. - role of members is primarily to pay dues - most of the group's activities are run by paid professionals rather than volunteers - includes groups such as labor unions - members play key roles staffing committees or engaging in group projects

Members Association: - members play key roles staffing committees or engaging in group projects - includes groups such as labor unions Staff Organization: - role of members is primarily to pay dues - most of the group's activities are run by paid professionals rather than volunteers

How did the federal government in the 1960s and 1970s affect the number of interest groups? - Most of the action happened at the state level in the 1960s and 1970s. - The federal government put new limitations on lobbying, which discouraged the formation of new interest groups. - New social programs and court rulings led to the formation of many new interest groups. - The end of the New Politics movement in the early 1960s meant that there was room for new interest groups.

New social programs and court rulings led to the formation of many new interest groups.

The National League of Cities, the National Governor's Association, and Harvard University are all examples of what kind of interest group?

Public Sector

Which of the following types of interest groups is most likely to be involved in protesting the expansion of oil pipelines in the United States? - labor groups - economic groups - public-sector groups - public interests groups

Public interests groups

Label the following examples of an interest group benefit with the type of benefit it represents. - Material - Solidary - Purposive

Solidary: - An individual joins an environmental protection organization to meet and network with other local environmentalists. Material: - An interest-group member receives discounts from local businesses related to the interest group. - An interest-group member receives a free T-shirt for joining. Purposive: - An individual draws pride from having contributed to an interest group's introduction of a particular piece of legislation.

Which of the following characteristics belong to PACs and which to Super PACs? - started in the 1970s - may raise unlimited sums from corporations, unions, and individuals - cannot contribute directly to candidate - can contribute up to $5,000 to a federal candidate for office

Super Pacs: - cannot contribute directly to candidates - may raise unlimited sums from corporations, unions and individuals Pacs: - started in the 1970s - can contribute up to $5,000 to a federal candidate for office

T/F: In general, groups organized on behalf of businesses and industries have more lobbyists and more financial resources than citizen groups.

True

Match each example of a specific interest group to the correct category of interest groups. - American Bar Association - National League of cities - Independent Petroleum Association of America - AFL-CIO - Natural Resource Defense Council

public-sector groups: - National League of Cities public interest groups: -Natural Resources Defense Council labor groups: - AFL-CIO economic and corporate groups: - Independent Petroleum Association of America professional associations: - American Bar Association