PS1 11
There are more than ________ political action committees (PACs) in the United States.
4,000
About ________ percent of people who regularly listen to National Public Radio do not donate money to their local station.
90
Define a PAC. What limitations do PACs face when raising funds? What limitations do they face when contributing funds? Who are the primary recipients of PAC contributions, and why?
A PAC is the political action committee of an interest group that tries to gain influence by contributing money to the campaigns of political candidates. The true extent of PAC power to influence policy makers is hotly debated; PACs are influential, but their money does not literally buy votes in Congress. However, money does buy access, and members of Congress listen to groups that financially support their campaigns. PAC contributions account for roughly a third of total contributions to congressional campaigns. Their role is less significant in presidential campaigns, which are larger in scale and depend on a wider range of funding sources. PACs face limitations on their efforts to raise funds. They can raise money for election campaigns by soliciting voluntary contributions from group members. A group cannot give organizational funds (such as corporate profits or union dues) to candidates. Limitations also exist on the levels of contribution. A PAC can contribute no more than $10,000 to a candidate for federal office—$5,000 in the primary and $5,000 in the general election. The primary recipients of PAC contributions are incumbents. Congressional incumbents are highly likely to win and thus to remain in a position to make public policy. For this reason, the great bulk of PAC contributions are given to incumbents seeking reelection.
Members of the ________ generate more mail to Congress than any other group.
AARP
The limits of interest groups' influence might be gauged by the Democratic backlash against the ________, which tried to block the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993.
AFL-CIO
Identify the defining characteristics of an interest group. How do interest groups differ from political parties?
An interest group is any organization that actively seeks to influence public policy. They are a linkage mechanism, serving to connect citizens with government. Although political parties are also linkage mechanisms, they serve a much broader range of issues in order to appeal to more constituents. Interest groups concentrate on trying to change specific policies, while political parties have winning elections as their primary goal. Interest groups also handle some issues, particularly controversial ones, that political parties neglect or deliberately avoid.
Compare iron triangles and issue networks.
An iron triangle is a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with the development of policies beneficial to a particular interest. All sides of an iron triangle benefit from the relationship, which is why such relationships tend to be iron-clad or likely to endure. An issue network is an informal relationship among officials and lobbyists who are linked by common expertise and concern with a given policy area, such as energy, communication, the environment, or trade, and who come together temporarily around an issue problem. Issue networks are different from iron triangles because the former are temporary and ad hoc (a response to a particular issue) and are based on shared expertise, while the latter are more enduring and are based on common interest. Although they are less stable, issue networks have become a more prevalent manner in which to wield political influence.
Define citizens'(or noneconomic) interest groups and identify the types of noneconomic interest groups and the constituencies they serve.
Citizens (or noneconomic) groups are organized around purposive incentives, which are opportunities to support a cause in which a person believes. Nearly every conceivable issue or problem has its citizens' group, and so the constituencies served by citizens' groups are incredibly diverse. Some citizens' groups, like the NAACP or the National Organization for Women, work to advance the interests of a particular social grouping. Other citizens' groups are dedicated to the promotion of a political ideology, like the American Conservative Union (ACU) or MoveOn. Most citizens' groups have an issue-specific policy agenda and are called single-interest groups. Single interest groups are organized to influence policy in just one area; examples are the Sierra Club, the National Rifle Association, and the various right-to-life and pro-choice abortion-related groups. However, citizens' groups are very difficult to classify because they differ so widely in focus and goals and can have overlapping traits. A single-issue group might be highly ideological or highly pragmatic.
What is the importance of the distinction between private goods (individual goods) and collective goods (public goods) in assessing why some interests are more highly organized than others? What type of group particularly benefits from this situation?
Economic groups offer members private (or individual) incentives that benefit them directly, which is a powerful reason to join the group. An example of a private good is a benefit that a labor union member obtains through the union. Citizens' groups offer collective goods (public goods), which are goods that all people share, such as a clean environment. The fact that such goods are available to nonmembers as well as members is a disincentive for many to participate. This situation, called the free-rider problem, can plague citizens' groups. Economic groups are less affected by the free-rider problem. Economic groups also have ready access to financial resources in the form of profits or dues, while citizens' groups typically have more trouble obtaining financial resources—though recent advances in computer-aided direct mail and Internet-based fundraising have improved the financing capabilities of many citizens' groups
Define economic groups. Identify four main types of economic interest groups and the constituencies they serve
Economic groups promote the economic interests of their members. The four types of economic groups are business, labor, farm, and professional groups. Business groups, which make up more than one-half of all lobbying groups in Washington, D.C., concentrate their activities on policies that are concerned with business, such as tax, tariff, and regulatory decisions. Business interests are also represented by associations such as the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Labor groups seek to promote policies that benefit workers in general and union members in particular. They have been politically active for a long time, and the AFL-CIO is the largest labor group. Farm groups represent various segments of the farm community; for example, the Farm Bureau promotes agribusiness and large farms, while the Farmers Union promotes the interests of smaller family farms. Professional groups, such as the American Medical Association, represent various professions and attempt to influence policy on their behalf.
Why did Representative Tom DeLay lose his post as House majority leader?
He was implicated in a scandal involving campaign donations from lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Discuss interest-group liberalism and indicate how Madison's constitutional solution for controlling groups has itself become part of the problem in American politics.
Interest-group liberalism holds that there is no concept of society's collective interest in a policy system that enables special interests to determine for themselves which policy benefits they receive. Regardless of how many interests are served by the system, the public interest is not served, because each policy decision is the result not of majority rule but of minority or special-interest rule. Madison's constitutional solution to the problem of special interests was to offset the power of a faction by pitting it against other factions; in practice, this solution required the fragmentation of political power—checks and balances. Today, Madison's arrangement results in the delegation of authority in particular policy areas to small sets of officials, a condition that provides a perfect context for group influence.
________ wrote that "Liberty is to faction what air is to fire."
James Madison
Which of the following organizations is NOT an example of a single-issue group?
MoveOn.org
Economist Mancur Olson refers to what aspect of interest groups as "the size factor"?
Small groups are ordinarily more united on policy issues and often have more resources, enabling them to win out more often than large groups.
Which of the following is true of employment in lobbying firms by members of Congress?
They are prohibited by law from lobbying Congress for a set period of time after leaving office.
An interest group that focuses on policy benefits for senior citizens would be an example of
a single issue group
The term iron triangle refers to
a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest.
A basic reason for the existence of so many interest groups in the United States is
a. the American tradition of free association. b. the extent of diverse interests in American society. c. America's federal system of government. d. the separation of powers in American government.
The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)
allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on campaigns.
An informal grouping of officials, lobbyists, and policy specialists who come together temporarily around a policy problem is
an issue network
The influence of interest groups through the courts occurs through
both initiating lawsuits and lobbying for certain judges to be appointed to the bench.
Some groups pursue collective goods. A collective good is one that
cannot be selectively granted or denied to individuals; it must be shared.
Theodore Lowi's theory of interest-group liberalism
deals with the tendency of officials to support the policy demands of the interest group or groups that have a special stake in a policy.
Outside lobbying does NOT include
developing and maintaining close contacts with policymakers.
The most fully organized interests are those that have which of the following as their primary purpose?
economic activity
Economist Mancur Olson concluded that groups
exercise too much power in the American system.
ames Madison argued
for regulation of interests through a governing system of checks and balances.
An amicus brief
is a written document in which a group explains to a court its position on a legal dispute the court is handling
A main difference between iron triangles and issue networks is that
issue networks are generally less stable than iron triangles, in that the members of an issue network may change as the issue develops.
During his visit to this country in the 1830s, Alexis de Tocqueville described the United States as "a nation of ________."
joiners
In the dynamics of an iron triangle, what benefit do interest groups provide to friendly bureaucratic agencies?
lobbying support for agency programs
Roughly how many American workers currently belong to unions?
one in eight
Grassroots lobbying is based on the assumption that officials will respond to
pressure from constituents.
"Agency capture" occurs when
regulatory agencies side with the industries they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public.
James Madison's solution to the problem of factions (special interests) has, in the modern policy process, actually contributed to the problem by
resulting in a fragmentation of authority among policymakers, thereby providing groups more opportunities to get their way
A pluralist could be expected to argue that
society is best seen as a collection of separate interests.
According to E. E. Schattschneider, the interest-group system has a
strong upper-class bias.
In recent decades, lobbyists in Washington, D.C. have increasingly
targeted the executive branch in their efforts to influence policy decisions.
The support of ________ was critical to passage of a controversial prescription drug program for the elderly in 2003.
the AARP
Which citizens' group did a Fortune magazine survey rank as the nation's most powerful lobbying group?
the AARP
The situation in which individuals are tempted not to contribute to a cause because they will get the benefits even if they do not participate is called
the free rider program
A purposive incentive is defined as
the opportunity to contribute to a worthy goal or purpose.
Citizens' interest groups are distinguished from economic interest groups by the fact that
their members receive no direct economic benefit from attainment of the group's goals.
The largest number of PACs are those associated with
business
The theory that society's interests are most effectively represented through group action is
pluralist theory
Another name for an interest group is
pressure group
Effective inside lobbying is based upon
providing useful and persuasive information to key officials.
The citizens of ________ are most actively involved in interest groups and community causes.
the U.S.
The air we breathe is an example of a
the collective good
Why have issue networks become more prevalent than iron triangles?
the increasing complexity of policy problems
A flaw in pluralism theory is the fact that
the interest group system is unrepresentative because some interests are far better organized and more powerful than others.
Which of the following is roughly the amount that was spent on lobbying in the United States in 2009?
$3.5 billion
Under federal law, PACs can contribute no more than ________ per candidate in a primary election.
$5,000
58. Compare outside lobbying and inside lobbying.
Inside lobbying is based on close contacts with legislative, executive, and judicial officials and relies upon the use of information and personal persuasion as means of gaining support for the goals of the interest group. Outside lobbying aims to bring public pressure to bear on officials and rests upon grassroots activity (e.g., a letter-writing campaign) and electoral support in the form of group endorsements, votes, and financial contributions.
Which of the following statements would NOT be accepted by supporters of the pluralist view of interest groups?
The opinion of the majority should always prevail in a policy dispute over the opinion of a more intense and directly affected minority.
The dominant labor interest group is
United Auto Workers
PACs tend to contribute the most money to
incumbents.
Most lobbyists receive support from elected officials in direct exchange for
information
Political scientist Theodore Lowi has questioned pluralist theory by suggesting that
there is no concept of the public interest in a system that gives special interests the ability to determine the policies affecting them.
Economic groups have an advantage over non-economic groups because
they have greater access to financial resources.
According to James Madison, the source of most factions is the
unequal distribution of property.
In order to overcome the free-rider problem, non-economic groups have
used Internet resources and computer-assisted mailing lists to target potential donors.
In acknowledging the dilemma inherent in group activity, James Madison
worried that government would be overly dominated by groups, but recognized that a free society is obliged to permit the advocacy of self-interest.
