AP U.S. Gov/Politics Chapter 10 - Interest Groups

four important ways in which lobbyist can help a member of Congress (p. 323-324)

1. They are an important source of information. 2. They can help politicians with political strategy for getting legislative through. 3. They can help formulate campaign strategy and get the group's members behind a politician's reelection campaign. 4. They are aa source of ideas and innovations.

James Madison's definition of interest group (p.334)

200 years ago James Madison defined his concern about interest groups (factions): A free society must allow for the representation of all groups that seek to influence political decision making, yet groups are usually more concerned with their own self-interest than with the needs of society as a whole; for democracy to work well, it is important that groups be allowed to assume a dominant position.

union shop

A provision found in some collective bargaining agreements requiring all employees of a business to join the union within a short period of time, usually 30 days, and to remain members as a condition of employment.

right-to-work laws

A state law forbidding requirements that workers must join a union to hold their jobs. State right-to-work laws were specifically permitted by the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947.

elitism

A theory of government and politics contending that an upper-class elite will hold most of the power and thus in effect run the government.

hyperpluralism

A theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government, seeking to please them all, is thereby weakened.

pluralism

A theory of government and politics emphasizing that many groups, each pressing for its preferred policies, compete and counterbalance one another in the political marketplace.

public interest lobbies

According to Jeffrey Berry, organizations that seek "a collective good, the achievement of which will not be selectively and materially benefit the membership or activitists of the organization."

lobbying (interest group strategy #1)

According to Lester Milbrath, a "communication, by someone other than a citizen acting on his or her own behalf, directed to a governmental decision maker with the hope of influencing his or her decision."

potential group

All the people who might be interest group members because they share some common interest.

interest group

An organization of people with shared policy goals entering the policy process at several points to try to achieve those goals. Interest groups pursue their goals in many arenas.

electioneering (interest group strategy #2)

Direct group involvement in the electoral process, for example, by helping to fund campaigns, getting members to work for candidates, and forming political action committees.

Ch. 10.5 - Types of Interest Groups Identify the various types of interest groups

Economic interest groups involve business and labor, with business focusing on governmental regulations and subsidies, and labor focusing on policies to ensure good working conditions and wage. Environmental interests advocate policies to deal with problems such as global warming and pollution; they are also heavily involved in efforts to protect the wilderness and endangered species. Interest groups that are concerned with equality promote the fair treatment of groups that have been discriminated against in the past, such as African Americans and women. Public interest lobbies pursue policy objectives that they believe will benefit all citizens, such as consumer protection laws.

free-rider problem

For a group, the problem of people not joining because they can benefit from the group's activities without joining.

Going public (interest group strategy #4)

Groups are also interested in the opinions of the public. Because public opinions ultimately makes its way to policymakers, interest groups carefully cultivate their public image and use public opinion to their advantage when they can.

single-issue groups

Groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics.

Ch. 10-3 What Makes an Interest Group Successful? Analyze the factors that make some interest groups more successful than others in the political area, p. 319

Groups that have large numbers of potential members are usually less effective than groups that have a smaller potential membership, because it is easier to mobilize members of a smaller group, who have more incentive to participate. Both large and small groups can benefit from the intensity of their members' beliefs. Money always helps lubricate the wheels of power, though it is hardly a surefire guarantee of success,

political action committees (PACs)

Groups that raise money from individuals and then distribute it in the form of contributions to candidates that the group supports. PACs must register with the FEC and report their donations and contributions to it. Individual contributions to a PAC are limited to $5,000 per year and a PAC may give up to $5,000 to a candidate for each election.

litigation (interest group strategy #3)

If interest groups fail in Congress or get only a vague piece of legislation, the next step is to go to court in the hope of getting specific rulings. Karen Orren has linked much of the success of environmental interest groups to their use of lawsuits (litigation).

Ch. 10-1 The Role of Interest Groups Describe the role of interest groups in American politics, p. 315

Interest groups are groups that participate in order to promote policy goals that members share. They usually focus their efforts on one specific issue area, unlike political parties, which have to address all issues on the public agenda.

Ch. 10-4 How Groups Try to Shape Policy Assess the four basic strategies that interest groups use to try to shape policy, p. 322

Interest groups use four basic strategies to maximize their effectiveness. Lobbying is one well-known group strategy. Although the evidence on its influence is mixed, it is clear that lobbyists are most effective with those legislators already sympathetic to their side. Thus, electioneering becomes critical because it helps put supportive people in office. Often today, groups operate in the judicial as well as the legislative process, using litigation in the courts when lobbying fails or is not enough. Many also find it important to project a good image, employing public relations techniques to present themselves in the most favorable light.

collective good

Something of value that cannot be withheld from a potential group member.

iron triangles

Sub governments are composed of interest group leaders interested in a particular policy, the government agency in charge of administering that policy, an d the members of congressional committees and subcommittees handling that policy; they exercise a great deal of control over specific policy areas.

Ch. 10-6 Understanding Interest Groups Evaluate how well Madison's ideas for controlling the influence of interest groups have works in practice. p. 334

The issue of controlling interest groups remains as crucial to democracy today it was in James Madison's time. Some scholars believe that the growth of interest groups has worked to divide political influence, just as Madison hoped it would. Critics of this point of view tend to focus on the PAC system as the new way in which special interests corrupt American democracy or on the problem of too many groups having too much power to block policy change.

actual group

The people in the potential group who actually join.

Ch. 10-2 Theories of Interest Group Policies Compare and contrast the theories of pluralism, elitism, and hyper pluralism, p. 316

The theory of pluralism asserts that the policymaking process is very open to the participation of all interest groups, with no single group usually dominating. Pluralists tend to believe that as a result the public interest generally prevails. In contrast, elitism contends that an upper class elite holds the power and makes policy, regardless of the formal governmental organization. Hyperpluralism criticizes pluralism from a different perspective, contending that, with so many groups being so strong, government is weakened and its ability to make effective policy is crippled.

selective benefits

good that a group can restrict to those who actually join.