CHAPTER 11 GOV

What is intensity

a psychological advantage that can be enjoyed by small and large groups alike

many votes may be won or lost on

a single issue

what is interest group liberalism

a situation in which gov is excessively deferential (supportive) to groups

Explain symbiotic relationship between PACs and Candidates

candidates need money, which they insist can be used w/o compromising their integrity; PACs want access to officeholders, which they insist can be gained w/o buying votes

Because public opinion ultimately makes its way to policymakers, interest groups....

carefully cultivate their public image and use public opinion to their advantage when they can.

most famous interest group victories in court were won by whom?

civil rights groups in 1950s

William Lunch ... "A great part of the increase in groups was occasioned by the new government responsibility for _______, _________, and __________

civil rights; environmental protection, and great public health and safety.

Mancur Olson points out that all groups, unlike individuals, are in the business of providing ______________________

collective goods

Lester Milbrath's definition of lobbying

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

For larger groups, weighing the costs of participation against the relatively small benefits, the temptation is always to

"let somebody else do it" therefore, as Olson argues, the larger the potential group, the less likely potential members are to contribute

right to organize groups is protected by the Constitution, which guarantees people the right to what?

"peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances"

One of the most often quoted statements concerning interests groups by Schattschneider

"pressure politics is essentially the poliitics of small groups... Pressure tactics are not remarkably successful in mobilizing general interests"

Pluralist "group theory of politics"

-groups provide a key link between people and gov -groups compete -no one group is likely to become too dominant -groups usually play by the rules of the game -grouops weak in one resource can use another

two basic types of lobbyists

-regular, paid employees of a corporation, union, or association. they may hold title like vice president for gov relations, but everyone knows that their office is in Washington for a reason -members available for hire on a temporary basis; group may be too small to afford a full-time lobbyist; others may have a unique but temporary need for access to Congress or executive branch

Elitists view of the interest group system makes the following assertions...

-the face that there numerous groups proves nothing because groups are extremely unequal in power -awesome power is held by the largest corporations -the power of few is fortified by an extensive system of interlocking directorates -other groups may win many minor policy battles, but corporate elites prevail when it come to the big decisions

When R. Kenneth Godwin and Seldon asked some PAC directors why they gave their money to certain candidates, they said that there candidates were...

1. on committees that are important to their interest 2. very supportive of issues important to them 3. from a district of state where they had facilities 4. helping them with executive and regulatory agencies 5. in leadership positions that enabled them to influence issues that affect the PAC

Baumgartners explanation for why the correlation between big money and lobbying success is so weak

1. they find that lobbying is a very competitive enterprise. Once one side mobilizes its resources, the other side is almost sure to mobilize whatever resources and allies it has to counter them 2. 17% of the issues they examined involved one of the most powerful interest groups against each other; so big interest faced against another one. 3. their data revealed a high degree of diversity within sides active in the lobbying game, as groups with substantial financial resources often allied themselves with poor groups with whom they shared a common goal.

4 important ways in which lobbyists can help a member of Congress by Ornstein and Elder

1. theyre an important source of info 2. they can help politicians with political strategy for getting legislation through 3. They can help formulate campaign strategy and get the group's members behind a politician's reelection campaign 4. they are a source of ideas and innovation

in recent yrs, nearly __ the candidates running for reelection to the House of Reps have received the majority of their campaign funds from PACS

1/2

About _____ workers are members of unions to the AFL-CIO

10 MILLION; Other workers belong to unions like National Education Association, the Teamsters, and the Service Employees

PACs in 1974? 2012?

1974----608 2012----4,657

Lobbyists can confine themselves in how many areas? Which allows them to what?

1; provide specialized expertise in that area

1959, there were ________ interest groups. 2012. there were _______ groups

6,000; 25,000

in Feb 2010, ___% said that they thought gov "is pretty much run by a few big interests looking out for themselves"; __% who said that the gov "is run for the benefit of all the people."

78;19

1989 Webster v. Reproductive Health Services

Allowed states great freedom to restrict abortions.

who formed the first modern single-ssue group

Anti-Vietnam War activists

What did Roger Noll remark about the activity of baseball PACS?

Any industry that has any kind of dependence on gov is pretty much forced to do what they're doing. Unfortunately, this has become the cost of doing business

Why do candidates need PACS?

Because high-tech campaigning is expensive. PACS play a major role in paying for expensive campaigns.

what PACs have increased more dramatically than any other category of PACs over past several decades?

Business PACs

Environmental legislation typically includes provisions allowing ordinary citizens to sue for enforcement. As a result, what happens?

Every fed agency involved in environmental regulation now has 100s of suits pending against it at any given time

Lobbyists can introduce bills TRUE OR FALSE

F

T or F In US, group politics is a unfair fight, with a lot of groups lying, cheating, stealing, engaging in violence

FALSE

Why are all legitimate groups able to affect public policy by one means or another?

Groups weak in once resource can use another

most powerful lobbying groups

National Beer Wholesalers Association and the National Restaurant Association

Why does PAC money go so overwhelmingly to incumbents?

PAC contributions are basically investments for the future, and incumbents are most likely to return the investment

A mean for interest groups to participate in electioneering is provided by

POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES PACS

Pluralist theory with interest groups and democracy

Pluralist believe that a rough approx of the public interest emerges from competition of groups with opposing interests that counterbalance one another Salisbury "the growth in the #, variety, and sophistication of interest groups represented in Washington has transformed policymaking such that it is not dominated so often by powerful interest groups" He concludes that the increase in lobbying activity has resulted in less clout overall for interest groups (better democracy)

In which case had over 100 groups filing amicus briefs?

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

What did Amy McKay find and note on her studies?

She found that the intensity of lobbying against a proposal is a powerful predictor of whether the proposal is adopted in Congress or by a fed agency; She further notes that because groups opposed to a policy change are more likely to feel intensely about their position than groups calling for the change, in practice this often serves to preserve the status quo.

T OR F even the wealthiest and more powerful groups in US appeal to public opinion

T

T or F corporate PACs are more likely to favor GOP and its tax-cutting and deregulatory agenda

T

T or F members of the potential group share in benefits that members of the actual group work to sexure

T

T or F, some lobbyists now have groups to represent their profession?

T; like the American League of Lobbyists

T or F lobbyists are politically savvy people, and they can be useful consultants

TRUE

Where does lobbying get its names from?

The place where petitioners used to collar legislators. members of Congress had no officies and typically stayed in boarding offices or hotels. The only way to to get in touch with a member of Congress was to wait in the lobby where he was staying to catch him either coming in or going out

Hyperpluralist theory of Interest groups and democracy

Whenever a major interest group objects strongly to proposed legislation, policymakers will bend over backwards to try to accomodate it It is difficult to accomplish major policy change in Washington because there are so many groups with so many of them having influence in Washington. (POLICY GRIDLOCK DIMINISHES DEMOCRACY)

Business groups have supported right-to-work laws because they argue that union shops deny...

a basic freedom- the right not to belong to a group

Elitists say that government is run by

a few big interests looking out for themselves--- a view that the majority of the public has usually agreed in recent years

James Madisons approach on interest groups

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; for democracy to work well, it is important that groups not be allowed to assume a dominant positon

the increase in the number of groups reflects what?

a glowing diversity in the interest group universe

A big campaign contribution from interest groups might insure what?

a phone call, a meeting, or even a favorable vote or action on a particular policy

hyperpluralist theory

a theory of gov and politics contending that groups are so strong that gov is weakened; extreme, exaggerated or perverted form of pluralism

as a result of effort to please and appease every interest, what happens?

agencies proliferate, conflicting regulations expand, programs multiply, and the budget skyrockets.

electioneering

aiding candidates financially and getting group embers out to support tem

One tactic that lawyers employ to make the views of interest groups heard by the judiciary is the filing of...

amicus curiae briefs (aka friend of the court briefs). they're written arguments submitted to the courts in support of one side of a case. Through these, group states its collective position and how its own welfare will be affected by the outcome of the case.

why is nailing down the specific effects of lobbying difficult?

because it is difficult to isolate its effects from other influences

Olson's law of large groups

by Mancur Olson: a principle stating that "the larger the group, the further it will fall short of providing an optimal amount of collective good." or the larger the potential group, the less likely potential members are to contribute

what was Madison's solution to the problems posed by interest groups?

create a wide-open system in which many groups would be able to participate

Lobbying can be done _______ or _______

crudely or gracefully lobbyists can sometimes be heavy handed and threaten a legislator, implying that electoral defeat is a certain result of not "going along"

One of the major factors behind the explosion in thenumber of interests groups?

development of sophisticated technology. They can deluge Congress with emails and phone calls in a matter of hours.

Because there are a limited number of multinational corporations, these businesses have an ________ time organizing themselves for political action than larger potential groups, like consumers.

easier

Groups vary enormously in the degree to which they....

enroll their potential membership. Consumer organizations are successful in mobilizing only a small fraction of those who might benefit from their efforts, which is all Americans.

Among the newer political interest groups are the

environmentalists

Dominant goal of African American groups

equality at polls, in housing, on job, in education, and all other facets of American life

unlike political parties, these groups need not try to appeal to ______

everyone

elitism argues that....

few groups (primarily the wealthy) have most of the power

What is a more DIRECT judicial strategy employed by interest groups

filing of class action suits, which enables a group of people in similar situation to combine their common grievances into a single suit.

once doing what can large groups become effective?

getting organized, but it is much harder for them to get together in the first place

Large groups sometimes receive members by doing what?

giving selective benefits (goods like info publications, travel discount, and group insurance rates, that a group can restrict to those who pay their annual dues)

According to the president of Common Cause, most lobbyists are...

good people who perform a valuable service sharing their expertise on issues with Members of Congess

hyperpluralist position on group politcs is characterized as follows:

groups have become too powerful in the political process as gov tries to appease every conceivable interest Interest group liberalism is aggravated by numerous subgovernments-- comfortable relationships among a gov agency, the interest group it deals with, and congressional subcommittees. trying to please every group results in contradictory and confusing policy.

Name some public interest groups

groups seeking to protect those who cannot speak for themselves (children or mentally ill); good-gov groups like Common Cause, and Christian Coalition

Political scientists loosely categorize interest groups into clusters. Name those cluster

groups that deal with either economic issues, environmental concerns, equality issues, or the interest of consumers and the public generally

single-issue groups

groups that have narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and single-mindedly pursues its goal.

The 14th Amendment

guarantees equal protection under the law

the distinct advantage of small groups helps explain why consumers have a...

hard time organizing for political action than to business

Numerous groups may file amicus briefs in

highly publicized and emotionally charged cases.

whereas pluralists are impressed by the vast # of organized interests, elitists are impressed by what?

how insignificant most of them are

When did the American labor union reach its peak?

in 1956, when 33% of the nonagricultural workforce belonged to a union; since then, the percentage lowered to 12

most large corporations and trade association now have offices where?

in Washington that monitor legislative activity

For hyperpluralists, the problem is,

in a phrase coined by Theodore Lowi, interest group liberalism, with virtually all pressure group demands seen as legitimate, and the job of gov to advance them all

Pluralists consider the extensive organization of competing groups as evidence that...

influence is widely dispersed among them

What is a perfect script for policy gridlock?

instead of making choices between X and Y, the gov pretends there's no need to choose and tries to favor both policies

pluralism argues that.... According to pluralists....

interest group activity brings representation to all. groups compete and counterbalance one another in the political marketplace

Technology didn't create ________, but it has made the process _______

interest group politics; easier

the more areas in which the fed gov has become involved, the more...

interest groups have developed to attempt to influence policy

Subgovernments are also called

iron triangles

Business interests are unified when ______, but are fragmented when ________

it comes to promoting greater profits; policy choices have to be made

How the tax code is written determines what for people and producers?

it determines whether people and producers pay a lot or little of their incomes to the gov

Iron triangles are composed of..

key interest group leaders interested in policy X, the gov agency in charge of administering policy X, and the members of congressional committees and subcommittees handling policy X

Lobbyists are paid for

knowing who to contact and with what information

Richard Hall and Alan Deardorff has viewed lobbying as a form of "____" and what is the purpose of this

legislative subsidy. to help ones political allies; not change anyone's mind

Consumers are ____ _____ than producers

less effective

If interest groups fail in Congress or get only a vague piece of legislation, what is their next step?

litigation: to go to court in hope of getting specific ruling

One type of lobbying that has drawn criticism

lobbying on behalf of municipal governments

4 basic strategies of interest groups to achieve policy goals?

lobbying, electioneering, litigation, and appealing to public NOT mutually exclusive

Individual interest groups fight to sustain gov programs that are important to them, therby

making it hard for politicians ever to reduce scope of gov

what is legislative subsidy

matching grant of costly policy information, political intelligence, and labor to the enterprises of strategically selected legislators

Salisbury argues that interest groups spend much of their time

monitoring policy developments in order to alert their membership and develop reactive strategies

Business interests are far from ________, as different business interests compete on many specific issues

monolithic

Lately, __________ organization have undertaken expensive public relation efforts, whether to ___________ or ___________

more and more; defend their reputation; promote their stands on issues

With so many more interests groups to satisfy, and with many of them competing against one another, a cozy relationship between groups and gov is...

more difficult to sustain

Elitists note, for example, that 1/3 of top institutional positions (corp boards, foundation boards, university trusteeships, etc) are...

occupied by people who hold more than one such position, resulting in so-called interlocking directorates

As is often the case with interest group politics, issues are rarely settled ________; rather they shift to ________

once and for all; different policy arenas

Pluralists argues that lobbying is ______ to all and is therefore...

open; not to be regarded as a problem

small groups have ______________ advantages over large groups

organizational

the freedom to ________ is as fundamental to democratic government as freedom of speech and freedom of press.

organize

right-to-work laws

outlaws union membership as a condition of employment

difference between parties and interest groups

parties- fight their battles through the electoral process; they run candidates for public office; policy generalists interest groups- may support candidates for office, but do not run their own slate of candidates, as occurs in some other countries; policy generalists

Top goal of women's rights groups

passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, which states that "equality of rights under the law shall not be abridged on account of sex"

Lobbying works best on whom?

people already committed to the lobbyist's policy position. So, like campaigning, lobbying is directed toward primarily activating and reinforcing supporters.

Taft-Hartley Act of 1947

permits states to adopt right-to-work laws. did not make that much of a difference

understanding the debate over whether honest lobbying-- and interest groups in general-- create problems for government in America requires an examination of 3 important theories...

pluralist theory elite theory hyperpluralist theory

Elitist theory of Interest groups and democracy

point to the proliferation of business PACs as evidence of more interest group corruption in American politics than ever PACs distort process of voter-candidate's exchange of ideas From over 4,000 PACs, a few big-spending ones dominate the fund-raising game

In any event, business is well organized for _____ _____

political action

In other words, lobbyists are whom?

political persuaders who represent organized groups who usually work in Washington, handling groups' legislative business. They're often former legislators

Who disagree about the effectiveness of lobbying?

political scientists

if information is power, then lobbyists can be what?

potent allies

free-rider problem

problem faced by unions and other groups when people do not join because they can benefit from the group's activities without officially joining

One can also argue that the growth in the scope of gov in recent decades for a good portion of the

proliferation of interest groups

Environmental groups promotion policies and opposition policies

promote policies to control pollution, combat global warming wilderness protection, and species preservation oppose oil drilling, strip mining, supersonic aircraft, and nuclear power plant

Name the same goal all the elements composing subgovernments share

protecting their self-interest.

Common practice for antiabortion activists

protesting

The benefit that public interest lobbies seek may be for the

pubic as consumers, for the public more broadly defined, or for some sector of the public

A large group like consumer groups claim to seek "______ ______" goals, but the gain they win ____________. In contrast ______ costs and benefits for _________ are _______.

public interests; usually spread thin over millions of people; lobbying; business; concentrated

In particular, arguments of environmentalists about _________ risks have had a profound impact on pubic policy.

radiation

Merely loitering in a lobby does not make on a lobbyist; there must be a particular _____ for such action

reason

Hyperpluralists' major criticism of the interest group system is that

relations between groups and the government have become too cozy.

Elitists say, real power is held by whom?

relatively few people, key groups, and institutions

"everyone makes a difference" is much more credible in the case of

relatively small groups

Interest groups market not only their stand on issues but also their ____________. Business interest want people to see them as "what made America great," no as wealthy American trying to ensure large profits

reputation; in this way, many groups try to create a reservoir of goodwill with the public

union shops

requires employees of a business that has a union contract to join the union and stay in it as long as they work there.

Elitists see what as further tightening the control of corporate elites?

rise of mighty multinational corporations

One of the most dramatic political developments in recent years

rise of single-issue groups

Cox and Wertheimer write that the role of PACs in campaign finance is...

robbing our nation of its democratic ideals and giving us a gov of leaders beholden to the moNied interests who make their election possible

the bigger the potential group, the more __________ the free-rider problems; why?

serious; in a small group, shares of the collective good are more likely to be great enough to give the potential members an incentive to join the groups to help it secure its goals

How did consumer groups emerge?

single-handedly at first by Ralph Nader. He was inspired by UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED. Nader sued General Motors for invasion of privacy, and won a hefty settlement. He used proceeds to launch first major consumer group in Washington.

Among the factors affect the success of an interest groups are...

size of the group, its intensity, and its financial resources

While greater intensity and more financial resources work to a group's advantage, surprisingly, _________ are more likely to achieve their goals than ____________

smaller groups; larger groups

whom can PACS collect money from?

stockholders, members, and other interested parties

According to hyperpluralists, interest group liberalism is promoted by the network of _________ in the American political system that exercise a great of control over specific policy areas

subgovernments (iron triangles)

T OR F even on some of the most important issues, the big interests do not always win

t

t or f all legitimate interest in the political system can get a hearing from the government once they are organized

t

Dona and Charles Hamilton argue

that "much less is known about the 'social welfare agenda'-- the fight for social welfare policies to help poor." they argue that civil rights groups, since early days, have been concerned with larger ad more universal economic problems in aMERICAN SOCIETY

one factor behind decline of union belongings of nonagricultural workforce?

that low wages in other countries have affected the American job market in a number of key manufacturing sectors.

hyperpluralist's major criticism of interest group is

that relations between groups and gov hv become too cozy

With state and local budgets tightening in response to declining revenues in recent years,

the collective bargaining rights of public sector employees have become a hot-button issue.

What happened on April 22,1970

the first Earth Day; many environmental groups originated. Ecology-mided people marched on Washington and other places to symbolize their support for environmental protections

what helps distinguish interest groups from political parties?

the multiplicity of policy arenas

What indicates that a good part of what business expects to get from PAC contributions is access to the most powerful policymakers?

the pattern that PACs have swayed signficiantly with the political winds over time

what does Paul Johnson say is the biggest factor causing decline in union membershiP?

the problems unions have in convincing today's workers that they will benefit from unionization. He argues that this task has become more difficult because of employers' efforts to make nonunion jobs more satisfying

As labor union membership has declines in traditional blue-collar industries, the labor union movement expanded in _____

the public sector

one of the major indictments of the American interest group system is that it's biased toward whom?

the wealthy

A recent in-depth study of lobbyists and their work by Rogan Kersh concludes that their success depends largely on...

their ability to deploy information strategically on behalf of their clients.

Karen Orren has linked much of the success of environmental interest groups to

their use of lawsuits

Above all, most special interest groups strive to maintain established programs that benefit ____

them

Other ways interest groups participation in elections

they recruit interest group members to run as candidates for office, issue official group endorsements, provide volunteer labor to participate in campaign wor, and send delegates to state and nat conventions to try and influence party platforms

Explain Baumgartner's results of his analysis of interest group activity

they report "the usual types of resources that are often assumed to 'but' policy outcomes (PAC donations, lobbying expenditures, membership size, and organizational budgets) have no observable effect on the outcomes" BIG MONEY AND LOBBYING SUCCESS IS SO WEAK.

Explain the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995

this established criteria for determining whether an organization should register its employees as lobbyists. Whoever fits criteria register with secretary of US Senate and file report with how much clients were paid by lobbying. This info is made public by Senate's Office of Public Records. 2012 edition of Washington Representatives: in-depth profiles on 18,000 lobbyists. 12,000 clients, and1,700 lobbying firms

Name one way how civil rights groups continue to push for equality

through affirmative action programs to ensure that minority groups are given educational and employment opportunities

Another way in which a large potential group may be mobilized

through an issue that people feel intensely about

what is the major aim of American union organizations?

to press for policies to ensure better working conditions and high wages.

what is the primary way for large potential groups to overcome Olson's law?

to provide attractive benefits for only those who join the organization

hyperpluralism asserts that...

too many groups are getting too much of what they want, resulting in government policy that is often contradictory and lacking in direction.

_____ _____ occupations or industries go without a group to represent them in Washington

very few

Ironically, the recent interest group explosion is seen by some scholars as

weakening the power of subgovernments (iron triangles)

When are PACs formed?

when a business association or other interest group decides to contribute to candidates whom it believes will support legislation it favors.

When are politicians more likely to listen to groups?

when a group shows that it cares deeply about an issue

explain how in pluralism, for every action, there's a reaction.

when one group throws in weight around too much, its opponents are likely to intensify their organization and thus restore balance to the system

Pluralists believe that groups win some and lose some but that no group...

wins or loses all the time

what two sets of interest groups have made equal rights their main policy goal?

women and minorities

According to Madison, in a wide open system, groups with opposing interests

would counterbalance one another

Does elite theorists think lobbying is a problem? why or why not?

yes; because it benefits relatively few at the expense of many