Chapter 9-Interest Groups: Organizing for Influence

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

Chamber of Commerce

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

Collective

Which of the following is an advantage that economic groups have over citizens' groups?

Economic groups can provide material benefits (such as jobs) to those who are part of the group.

True or False: Retired lawmakers cannot become lobbyists because they are forbidden by law to take a lobbying job.

FALSE

An example of an environmental interest group is

Greenpeace

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

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

Which political leader wrote that the government must dilute the influence of factions and interest groups by filtering their views through properly structured governing institutions?

James Madison

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

Outside

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

Purposive

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

TRUE

Which of the following states have 800 or more registered lobbyists within the state?

Texas New York California

Which of the following statements are true concerning interest groups?

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

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

a political action committee.

What is a super PAC?

an independent expenditure only committee

Why do many interest groups from political action committees (PACs)?

because contributing to candidates' campaigns can help gain access for interest group lobbyists

They type of interest group that addresses issues of concern to the general public and not just the group's members is called a ______ interest group.

citizen's

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

consumer

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

corporate interests.

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

disband once an issue is settled.

James Madison predicted the growth of ______ interests in Federalist #10 because he argued that nothing matters more to people than their own economic well-being.

economic

The primary purpose of ______ interest groups is to secure material benefits for their members.

economic

Which of the following are the components of an iron triangle?

executive agencies interest groups congressional committees

A person known as a ____ rider derives a benefit without contributing to its achievement.

free

Which of the following would be considered outside lobbying activities used by interest groups?

having group members send letters to their legislators organizing a protest on the steps of Congress creating public service announcements to be aired on television

Who typically benefits the most from interest group resources and activism?

incumbents

Rather than using threats, interest groups tend to influence lawmakers by providing them with

information that supports the group's policy positions.

The interest group strategy that includes face-to-face meetings with legislators and providing policy information to policymakers is known as

inside lobbying.

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

interest group.

A(n) _____ _______ is comprised of various actors that all have interest and expertise in a particular policy issue even though they may disagree on what the outcome should be.

issue network

Which of the following are types of policy processes in which many interest groups participate?

issue networks iron triangles

Which of the following are ways in which members of Congress benefit from ties to lobbyists?

lobbyists provide information on specific pieces of legislation lobbyists identify bills that need their attention lobbyists testify at committee hearings

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

lower.

Jobs, higher wages and tax incentives are all examples of ______ incentives to joining interest groups.

material

Which of the following help interest groups participate more effectively in group politics?

money skills contacts

Compared with Europeans, Americans are ______ likely to belong to a voluntary group or association.

more

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

private

One of the positive contributions that interest groups make is

providing a form of representation for organized groups.

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

public

Capture theory argues that ______ sometimes focus more on the needs of industries than on the public interest.

regulatory agencies

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

single-issue

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

the American Farm Bureau

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 people joining together encourages them to look to interest groups as a way of influencing policymakers. of the tradition of free speech and association means there are few legal barriers to the activities of interest groups.

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 groups represents business firms of a particular kind, such as insurance companies?

trade association