Federal Government Chapter 9

Members of Congress

Electoral Support

Which definition refers to an interest group?

an organization seeking to influence government policy

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

regulatory agencies

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

the American Farm Bureau

A simple way to describe citizens' groups is that they are groups

anyone can join

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

lobbying

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

the limit on corporate and union spending in federal elections

Federal agency

Support for their administrative programs

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

Private

Which type of group typically has a problem with free riders?

citizens' groups

The incentives that most noneconomic groups offer include

collective goods

Which of the following types 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.

Labor group political action committees typically favor contributing to which of the following groups?

democrats

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

collective

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.

Lobbying elected officials includes which of the following activities?

face-to-face meetings with members of Congress

Which type of workers make up an increasing share of union workers?

government workers

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

incumbents

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

inside lobbying.

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

to encourage a ruling that is beneficial to their cause.

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

single-issue

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

trade association

What portion of all lobbying groups in Washington are business related?

two-thirds

interest group

beneficial policy decisions

The interest-group system in the U.S. overrepresents

business interests.

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

An important feature of private goods is that

the group can withhold a benefit.

______ 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 Mancur Olson, interest groups with smaller memberships usually prevail because they are able to join together and pool resources.

True

Among economic groups, which type are the most numerous?

business groups

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

by forming a political action committee (PAC)

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

the National Organization for Women

Which of the following are private goods?

- retirement plans - jobs

What is a super PAC?

an independent-expenditure-only committee

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

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

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.

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

- congressional committees - interest groups - executive agencies

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

- faced legislative hurdles. - a low chance of achieving their goals through elected officials.

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.

True or false: Both pluralists and their critics agree that interest groups have little influence over the government.

False

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

False

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

Information that supports the group's policy positions.

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

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.

a(n) ___ ____ is an informal but relatively stable group of persons from Congress, executive agencies, and interest groups with a mutual interest in a particular policy area.

Iron Triangle

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

How have advances in technology affected the free-rider problem?

It has lessened it.

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.

Super PACs are legally forbidden from which of the following?

- giving money directly to candidates - giving money directly to political parties

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

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

Which of the following are considered reasons for Americans' broad participation in groups, such as volunteer organizations?

- the prominence of public education - a tradition of free association - the importance of religion

There are roughly ______ registered lobbyists who work in Washington.

12,000

Which of the following are the chief targets of interest groups when they lobby the executive branch?

top officials of federal agencies