government ch 9

Which of the following are private goods?

jobs retirement plans

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

to encourage a ruling that is beneficial to their cause.

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

top officials of federal agencies

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

regulatory agencies

members of Congress interest group federal agency

electoral support beneficial policy decisions support for their administrative programs

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

trade association

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

Which of the following best describes why many interest groups form political action committees (PACs)?

because contributing to candidates' campaigns can help gain access for interest group lobbyists

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

citizens' groups

Which of the following types of interest groups is not classified as an economic interest group?

consumer

Which of the following help interest groups participate more effectively in group politics?

contacts money skills

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

Which of the southern states has fewer than 400 registered lobbyists?

South Carolina

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

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

the system of checks and balances

One example of an environmental interest group is

Greenpeace.

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

False

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

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

free

Super PACs are legally forbidden from which of the following?

giving money directly to candidates giving money directly to political parties

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

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

two-thirds

An organization that collects dues in exchange for providing exclusive, members-only benefits is an example of a(n) ______ interest group.

economic

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

inside strategy inside strategy outside strategy outside strategy

lobbying a politician giving policy-relevant information to a politician grassroots letter writing campaigns using televised advertising to promote a group's position

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

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

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

New York California Texas

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

anyone can join.

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

filing amicus curiae briefs lawsuits influencing the selection of federal judges

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

business interests.

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

orginized

______ incentives include the satisfaction that you are participating in a worthy effort.

Purposive

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.

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

It has lessened it.

Interest groups rely on what two main lobbying strategies?

outside lobbying inside lobbing

There are roughly ______ registered lobbyists who work in Washington.

12,000

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

interest group

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

Which of the following is an advantage that economic groups have over citizens' groups?

Economic groups can provide material benefits (such as jobs) to those who are part of the group.

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

Collective

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

Democrats

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

False

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

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

Private

Which of the following statements are true concerning interest groups?

They broaden the range of issues that lawmakers address. They can support controversial issues that lawmakers often avoid.

How do interest groups expand the range of issues that come to lawmakers' attention?

They focus on issues that may be controversial. They focus on issues that may not have broad impact.

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

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

Benefits that belong to the entire group are referred to as

collective goods.

The incentives that most noneconomic groups offer include

collective goods.

The interest-group system tends to work primarily in favor of

corporate interests.

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.

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

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

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

regulatory

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

single-issue

How are issue networks formed?

they are the result of the fact that individuals have interests and expertise in particular policy issues despite disagreeing on the outcome

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

the American Farm Bureau

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

the National Organization for Women

An important feature of private goods is that

the group can withhold a benefit.

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

the limit on corporate and union spending in federal elections

The United States provides a favorable environment for interest groups because

the tradition of people joining together encourages them to look to interest groups as a way of influencing policymakers. the separation of powers and federalism provide numerous points of access for interest groups to try to influence policymakers. the tradition of free speech and association means there are few legal barriers to the activities of interest groups.