PS1 Ch 9

"Agency capture" occurs when

a regulatory agency funnels money back into the lobbying organizations that are seeking policy changes. *regulatory agencies side with the industries they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public. the executive branch takes back control of a regulatory agency. an election results in the replacement of an agency's leadership through appointive positions under a new president. a regulatory agency must be dismantled because it has become corrupted.

Which of the following organizations is NOT an example of a single-issue group?

climate change groups National Rifle Association Sierra Club right-to-life groups *American Conservative Union

The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

has strengthened the argument that PACs constitute a better system of campaign finance than one based on wealthy donors. *allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on campaigns. limits PACs by reducing the amount of money they can raise through contributions by small donors. has forced corporations and labor unions to legally divorce themselves from the PACs they sponsor. has forced candidates for office and elected officials to make public the amounts of campaign contributions they have received from PACs and which PACs make those donations.

Theodore Lowi's theory of interest-group liberalism

posits that interest groups result in an efficient use of society's resources. *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. argues that lawmakers are rightly prevented from using government to promote group interests. describes the effect of groups on policy, resulting in a system of rule by majorities. constitutes a partial and wrongful abdication by government of its authority over policy.

An amicus brief

prevents a lobbyist group from making campaign donations to policymakers over a specific issue. provides evidence for prosecutors of an illegal monetary relationship between a lawmaker and an interest group or PAC. *is a written document in which a group explains to a court its position on a legal dispute the court is handling. prevents PACs from donating more than $5,000 to a single candidate during a primary election. is a written document in which an interest group lays out its policy preference for targeted lawmakers.

Super PACs have been criticized primarily for

refusing to abide by FEC regulations. being a tool that provides unfair advantages to liberal Democrats. giving too much influence to the wealthy. leveling the playing field for monetary influence in federal elections. making it more likely that minor parties will gain control of government.

Grassroots lobbying is based on the assumption that officials will respond to

the efforts of party organizations. *pressure from constituents. the opportunity for extensive media publicity. moral pleas. well-reasoned policy arguments.

Why have issue networks become more prevalent?

the increasing power of corporate lobbying the increasing influence of PACs *the increasing complexity of policy problems the increasing diversity of interest groups the instability of candidates' positions

Outside lobbying does NOT include

the use of campaign contributions to legislators who favor the interest group. rousing citizens to contact their elected officials and express their support. targeting group resources on key election races. *developing and maintaining close contacts with policymakers. cultivating favorable coverage from the news media.

Economic groups have an advantage over noneconomic groups because

their members are committed to their causes. they are organized primarily for political purposes. they have better leadership. *they have greater access to financial resources. they nearly always have larger memberships.

In the dynamics of an iron triangle, what benefit do interest groups provide to friendly government agencies?

travel funds administration of mutually beneficial policies services for constituents campaign contributions *lobbying support for agency programs

Which of the following is NOT a typical interest group function?

working to influence policymakers *addressing a broad and diverse range of public issues working to influence legislators supporting candidates for public office promoting public policies

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. Larger interest groups are able to draw on greater financial resources, which makes them more capable of getting the ear of lawmakers and thus achieving policy change. Small interest groups can often enhance their bargaining power by linking themselves to the agenda of a larger interest group that has greater resources. The interests of groups with large memberships would typically prevail over the interests of smaller groups. The smaller an interest group, the more likely that its motivating issue will be subsumed by the agenda of a larger interest group.

In recent decades, lobbyists in Washington, D.C., have increasingly

*targeted the executive branch in their efforts to influence policy decisions. ignored the judicial branch as a means of influencing policy decisions. relied on coercive tactics, such as threats of withdrawing election support. worked to defeat incumbent members of Congress in order to replace them with members who would be more supportive. relied exclusively on inside lobbying as the means of achieving their policy goals.

In an effort to overcome the free-rider problem, noneconomic groups have

*used Internet resources and computer-assisted mailing lists to target potential donors. adopted taxes for nonmembers. joined up with economic groups. convinced government to limit the distribution of public goods to those who have contributed to the group's efforts. deliberately restricted the size of their membership.