Interest Groups: Organizing for Influence

economic groups

Interest groups that are organized primarily for economic reasons but that engage in political activity in order to seek favorable policies from government.

Which of the following is a benefit to the public that results from the promotion of a special interest?

It can have a positive effect on other interests, such as through job creation.

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.

What are the advantages enjoyed by a large interest group such as the AARP?

• It is well-financed, even though individual members' dues are low. • It has a large staff that lobbies the federal government. • It can generate a large amount of mail to members of Congress.

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

• a low chance of achieving their goals through legislation • a cause that's unpopular with the public

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

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

regulatory

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

regulatory agencies

Compared to iron triangles, the relationship between actors in an issue network tends to be more ______.

temporary

Which one of these groups is an example of a citizens' group?

the National Organization for Women

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) involved which issue affecting interest groups?

the limit on corporate and union spending in federal elections

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

the system of checks and balances

political action committee (PAC)

The organization through which an interest group raises and distributes funds for election purposes. By law, the funds must be raised through voluntary contributions.

inside lobbying

Direct communication between organized interests and policymakers, which is based on the assumed value of close ("inside") contacts with policymakers.

super PACs

Election committees that are unrestricted in their fundraising and spending as long as they do not coordinate their campaign efforts with that of a candidate.

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

a political action committee

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

agriculture

What is a super PAC?

an independent-expenditure-only committee

Lobbyists generally direct their efforts at lawmakers who ______.

are inclined to support their group or cause

Among economic groups, which type are the most numerous?

business groups

The interest-group system in the United States overrepresents ______.

business interests

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

by forming a political action committee (PAC)

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

Which type of group typically has to deal with the problem of free riders?

citizens' groups

Benefits that belong to everyone, not just the members of a group, are referred to as ______.

collective goods

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

- filing amicus curiae briefs - lawsuits - influencing the selection of federal judges

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

- interest groups - executive agencies - congressional committees

Which of the following are private goods?

- jobs - retirement plans

outside lobbying

A form of lobbying in which an interest group seeks to use public pressure as a means of influencing officials.

iron triangle

A small and informal but relatively stable group of well-positioned legislators, executives, and lobbyists who seek to promote policies beneficial to a particular interest.

citizens' groups

Also called noneconomic groups, organized interests formed by individuals drawn together by opportunities to promote a cause in which they believe but that does not provide them significant individual economic benefits.

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.

issue network

An informal and relatively open network of public officials and lobbyists who come together in response to a proposed policy in an area of interest to each of them. Unlike an iron triangle, an issue network disbands after the issue is resolved.

interest group

Any organization that actively seeks to influence public policy.

private (individual) goods

Benefits that a group (most often an economic group) can grant directly and exclusively to individual members of the group.

collective (public) goods

Benefits that are offered by groups (usually citizens' groups) as an incentive for membership but that are nondivisible (such as a clean environment) and therefore are available to nonmembers as well as members of the particular group.

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

Collective

T or F: An enormous group such as the taxpayers of the United States can exert a major influence on public policy.

False (Reason not T: It is easier to get a small group together to focus on a policy goal than a group consisting of millions of members, such as taxpayers.)

A(n) _____ _____ is an organization that seeks to influence government decision making. It is also known by the names faction, special interest, or organized interest.

Interest group

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.

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

Lobbying

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

New York, California, and Texas

_____ lobbying includes initiating letter-writing campaigns and influencing the news media.

Outside

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

Private

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

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

encourage a ruling that is beneficial to their cause

A person known as a(n) _____ rider derives a benefit without contributing to its achievement.

free

In the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act, the corporate tax cut is permanent, whereas the individual tax cut has an end date. This difference illustrates the fact that ______.

getting smaller, more focused business groups to work together on an issue can be highly effective

Super PACs are legally forbidden from which of the following?

giving money directly to political parties & candidates

In an iron triangle, ______ provide campaign contributions to ______ in order to gain their support for a particular policy proposal.

groups; members of Congress

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

information that supports the group's policy positions

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

more

The states that border Mexico all have ______ registered lobbyists.

more than 800

Political scientist Mancur Olson argues that small interest groups can be more powerful than larger groups as long as they are more ______.

organized

Interest groups rely on what two main lobbying strategies?

outside lobbying & inside lobbing

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

trade association

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

False (Reason not T: Former lawmakers can become lobbyists after a set period of time and are well suited to lobbying because of their knowledge of the political process.)

lobbying

The process by which interest-group members and lobbyists attempt to influence public policy through contacts with public officials.

free-rider problem

The situation in which the benefits offered by a group to its members are also available to nonmembers. The incentive to join the group and to promote its cause is reduced because nonmembers (free riders) receive the benefits (for example, a cleaner environment) without having to pay any of the group's costs.