Chapter 10: Interest Groups (Inquizitive)

_______ benefits derive from the experience of working with ________, even if the group's efforts do not achieve the desired impact.

- Solidary - like-minded people

How will a legislator react to a lobbying effort on an issue that has high salience or high public attention?

- The legislator will seek to understand constituent opinion on the issue

Why might donors prefer to contribute to a 527 organization instead of to a PAC?

- They want to give more than a million dollars to be spent on an issue their preferred candidate supports

If potential interest group members are required to participate, we would say that the group is using ______ to overcome issues with __________.

- coercion - free riders.

When members send letters and make telephone calls to their elected officials on behalf of their interest group, it is called _______ lobbying. This contrasts with _______ lobbying, which is designed to mimic a spontaneous outpouring of support by members but is in actuality carefully orchestrated by an interest group

- grassroots - Astroturf

Organizations that seek to influence government policy by lobbying elected officials and bureaucrats are known as ________

- interest groups

College clubs use a variety of methods to recruit members, not unlike interest groups. Sometimes they offer pizza to people who show up to meetings, which is an example of a ________. Clubs also stress how you can meet new friends and fun people to spend time with, which is an example of a ________.

- material benefit - solidary benefit

According to the infographic, AIPAC was _______ the Iran nuclear deal. They were _________ in achieving their lobbying goal.

- opposed to - not successful

Securing media coverage, contributing to election campaigns, and starting a grassroots social media campaign are examples of what kind of lobbying strategy?

- outside

A trade association is a type of ___________ because only businesses, not individuals, can constitute the membership. The Sierra Club is an example of a _________ due to its more than two million individual members.

- peak association - mass association

One way in which interest groups can get members to join is by stressing how important the cause is that members are helping the group work towards. These are known as ________ benefits.

- purposive

Elections, interest groups, and _____ are all examples of _________.

- the media - linkage institutions

Match the type of organization to the advantage or disadvantage it has in the electioneering process.

501(c)(3) - It can only engage in very limited political activities 501(c)(4) - Half or more of all its activities must be nonpolitical PAC - It can contribute directly to candidates but only under strict limits. Super PAC - It can spend any amount to support or oppose a candidate but cannot coordinate with that candidate or the candidate's party.

Select the area of the table that most clearly demonstrates how groups are more successful in lobbying low-conflict issues.

Click in business groups unopposed

Match each type of interest group structure to its characteristics.

Confederation - better able to learn the needs or wants of its members - involves more independent subunits Centralized - more efficient deployment of resources - typically headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Which of the following scenarios are likely to produce success for the interest group involved?

Correct Ans: - An interest group lobbies for a change of which the public is largely unaware. - An interest group lobbies for a single minor change related to a larger, more complex issue. Incorrect Ans: - An interest group with a huge member base initiates a lobbying effort that is opposed by another major interest group. - An interest group lobbies for a change that is unpopular with the public.

Why do interest groups try to cultivate media contacts?

Correct Ans: - Coverage helps publicize a group's concerns without spending money. - The media can help attract new donors and members for a group. - Favorable coverage can show members how active their group is. Incorrect Ans: - The media generally favor groups with political action committees.

How is interest group lobbying regulated?

Correct Ans: - Lobbying firms must disclose who their clients are on a quarterly basis. - An interest group must disclose which employees spend more than 20 percent of their time lobbying. - Lobbying firms must disclose how much each of their clients pays. Incorrect Ans: - Interest groups and corporations are limited in the amount of money they spend on lobbying in a year. - Former members of government are not allowed to operate as lobbyists.

Which of the following statements are supported by the figure?

Correct Ans: - One can be an important interest group in Washington without spending much on lobbying. - Even many major companies spend only a small portion of their revenue on lobbying. Incorrect Ans: - Money buys influence and votes. - Interest groups tend to all spend about the same amount of money on lobbying.

Which of the following statements about patterns in electioneering by interest groups are accurate?

Correct Ans: - Super PACs and 501(c)(4) organizations emerged only in recent elections, partly as a result of Supreme Court decisions. - Most interest groups lack the resources to employ very large electioneering efforts. Incorrect Ans: - 527 organizations have recently outpaced PACs and Super PACs in total electioneering spending.

Which of the following help explain why interest groups seem to have limited power?

Correct Ans: - Winning interest groups claim more responsibility for the success than they actually deserve. - Losing interest groups often complain loudly about the influence that the winning interest groups exerted. - Interest groups typically lobby friendly government officials. Incorrect Ans: - Members of Congress are hostile to lobbyists because they fear voters will punish them for having close relationships with lobbyists.

Which of the following are linkage institutions?

Correct Ans: - interest groups - political parties Incorrect Ans: - Congress - the bureaucracy

Which of the following are examples of selective incentives?

Correct Ans: - material goods - satisfaction from working with others - feeling like you are helping a good cause Incorrect Ans: - public goods

Which of the following would likely make a grassroots lobbying campaign more effective?

Correct Ans: - personalized letters to members of Congress - a large membership base in a representative's district Incorrect Ans: - identical e-mails supporting a group's goals - phone calls from individuals living in a state different from the Congress member's state

Which of the following are resources that interest groups use to support their lobbying efforts?

Correct Ans: - money - people - expertise Incorrect Ans: - laws

What has research revealed about interest group power over the government?

Even having lots of members or money does not provide groups with reliable influence over gov decisions

AIPAC primarily engaged in insider strategies in lobbying about the Iran nuclear deal.

False

Interest groups are more likely to be successful when they are lobbying for changing existing policy compared to when they are lobbying to keep things the same as they currently are.

False

Lobbying is an unregulated industry.

False

How is a peak association different from a mass association?

Individuals cannot join a peak association

Contrast referenda and initiatives by indicating whether each characteristic applies to a referendum, initiative, or both.

Initiative - initiated by citizens - involves a signature-gathering process Referendum - initiated by a legislature or government body Both - involves a direct vote by citizens

Why do groups suffer from collective action problems?

Many potential members would rather be free riders than contribute to an interest group

Under what circumstances is an interest group more likely to succeed? Under what circumstances is it less likely to succeed?

More likely - The interest group is trying to prevent change. - The issue at hand is low conflict. Less likely - The issue at hand has lots of public attention

Which of the following best describes the idea of an interest group state?

Most policy decisions are determined by the influence of interest groups.

Watch the animation, and then match whether the strategies below are inside or outside strategies.

Outside - grassroots e-mail and phone drive - contributing to election campaigns Inside - providing research or testimony - drafting legislation

Match the type of interest group benefit with the example(s) that best illustrates it.

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

Match each interest group strategy to its example.

Research - A group publishes a report showing findings that support their position. Electioneering - A group endorses a member of Congress in their upcoming primary. Litigation - A group files an amicus curiae brief. Grassroots lobbying - Members of a group call their local member of Congress to advocate for the group's position.

Why do members of Congress discount Astroturf lobbying efforts?

Such efforts do not demonstrate that constituents in a district care about the issue

Why might we not be worried about well-funded groups overcoming public opinion to dominate the policy process?

There are usually well-funded groups on both sides of an issue

Analyze the graphs, and then answer the following question. Lobbying expenditures go up as federal spending increases.

True

Collaborations between interest groups tend to be short-term.

True

Interest groups face a collective action problem because many of the government policies they want to change are public goods.

True

Interest groups tend to be more successful on low-conflict issues.

True

Salience is the level of knowledge the public has about an interest group's goals.

True

Solidary and purposive benefits are examples of selective incentives.

True

Some groups have become so successful at offering selective incentives that people do not even realize they are an interest group

True

You've just been assigned a group project. There is one person in your group who does none of the work but is happy to take the "A" you all earn for the final product. This person is an example of what?

a free rider

Which of the following is an example of electioneering?

a interest group forms a political action committee

An interest group such as the Sierra Club that seeks promotion of a wide range of policies related to the environment, involving various industries, legislation, and locations, is most likely to fit into which category of interest group?

citizen group

How do many labor unions, especially at private companies, overcome the collective action problem?

coercion

Senator Potter retires from the Senate and goes to work as a highly-paid lobbyist for an interest group that had long supported him. Meanwhile, a member of a different interest group leaves to take a job in a government bureaucracy that regulates the same issues he used to work on as a lobbyist. These are examples of which concept?

revolving door

An interest group is most effective in direct lobbying when it does which of the following?

targets gov officials already friendly to its goals

What is the chief goal of a trade association?

to lobby for policies that would benefit related companies in a particular industry