Mixer 4: Interest Groups

AARP has approximately ________ members today.

38,000,000

How do interest groups use litigation as a strategy of influence? They file _______________ briefs, finance _______, and bring a suit on behalf of the group.

Amici curiae; lawsuits

A benefit that is sought by an interest group and that once achieved cannot be denied to nonmembers is called __________________.

Collective good

Which of the following is a theoretical assumption of pluralism?

Competition among interests will produce balance, with all interests regulating each other.

One way that AARP has been effective at overcoming the free-rider problem is by providing ________ benefits to its members.

Selective

Many interest groups are initially organized because

a political entrepreneur with a strong commitment to a particular set of goals believes a group will promote his or her goals and enhance his or her political influence.

The best description of the ideal of pluralism is that.

interest groups should be free to compete for governmental influence.

Interest groups are permitted to spend as much money as they want on issue advocacy during a campaign season, as long as they

do not coordinate their efforts with a candidate's own campaign organization.

Since the 1930s, the number and scale of interest groups at the national level has

dramatically increased.

Organized interest groups enhance American democracy by

representing the interests of large numbers of people and encouraging political participation

What is the most important and beneficial resource that lobbyists provide government officials?

information

The practice of lobbying is protected by ___________________________.

First amendment

If a person enjoys the benefits of a group's collective efforts but does not contribute to those efforts, he or she is called a

Free rider

The solidary benefits of interest groups include ____________________.

Friendship and Consciousness-Raising

What are the primary variables for predicting the likelihood of joining an interest group? having a higher ______ and _________

Income;education

Lobbying is an attempt by an individual or group to influence the passage of __________ by exerting _________ (fill in second blank with direct or indirect) pressure on Members of Congress.

Legislation; direct

The free-rider phenomenon is more problematic as the size of a group becomes __________________.

large

The free-rider problem occurs because

the benefits of a group's actions are available only to a specific segment of society.

It is difficult for political scientists to categorize unrepresented interests because

there are no organizations that can present their identities and demands.

Public interest groups differ from other types of interest groups in that

they claim to serve the common good, not just their own particular interests.