Chapter 9
outside lobbying
A form of lobbying in which an interest group seeks to use public pressure as a means of influencing officials. (calling on someone else to put pressure; it is an alternative route)
single-issue groups
Citizens' groups that have an issue-specific policy agenda (ex. NRA, right to life and pro-choice groups, environmental groups). These groups can be ideological or pragmatic.
Interest group politics is aligned with the political theory of...
Pluralism
Lobbying the Executive Branch
This form of lobbying is directed at the top officials in the federal agencies, who are the chief targets. Group influence is strong in the regulatory agencies that oversee the nations business sectors.
private (individual) good
Benefits, such as a job/wage, that a group (economic group) can grant directly and exclusively to individual members of the group. An important feature of a private good is that it can be held back. If an individual is unwilling to pay organizational dues, the group can withhold the benefit.
Inside lobbying tactics include...
1. developing contacts with legislators and executives 2. providing information and policy proposals to key officials 3. forming coalitions with other groups
grassroots lobbying
A form of lobbying designed to persuade officials that a groups policy position has strong constituent/popular support. An example of a major grassroots lobby system is the AARP. Grassroots lobbying seeks to get members of the public to take action (ex. participating in a demonstration/sending an email).
check book membership
A person that tends to join groups but only pays the membership fees; they are not active members and do not participate.
elite theory
A theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization.
issue network
An informal and relatively open network of public officials and lobbyists who come together TEMPORARILY in response to a proposed policy in an area of interest to each of them. Unlike an iron triangle, an issue network disbands after the issue is resolved. An issue network is built around specialized interests and knowledge. -LESS STABLE - INCLUDES OPPOSING INTERESTS - DISSOLVES ONCE THE ISSUE THAT BROUGHT THE PARTIES TOGETHER WAS RESOLVED
interest group
Any organization that actively seeks to influence public policy (aka faction, pressure group, special interest, or organized interest) -linkage mechanism: they serve to connect citizens with government
economic groups
Interest groups that are organized primarily for economic reasons but that engage in political activity in order to seek favorable policies from government. They engage in political activity as a means of promoting and protecting their economic interests. -corporations, labor unions, farm groups, and professional associations -small # (in the case of firms) encourages organization
The Contribution of Groups to Self Government: Pluralism
Pluralists question public interest-If people disagree on society goals and priorities, how can anyone claim that their goal or priority represents the public interest? Pluralists say that society is seen as a coalition of separate interests and is best served by a process that serves a wide array of these interests.
Advantages and disadvantages of economic groups
advantages 1. economic activity provides the organization with the resources necessary for political action 2. individuals are encouraged to join the group because of economic benefits they individually receive (wages) 3. in the case of firms within an industry, their small number encourages organization because the contribution of each firm can make a difference disadvantages 1. persons within the group may not support leaders political efforts because they did not join the group for political reasons (checkbook member)
collective (public) good
benefits that are offered by groups (citizens groups) as an incentive for membership but that are non divisible (such as a clean environment) and therefore are available to nonmembers as well as members of the particular group. They are goods that belong to all; they cannot be granted or withheld on an individual basis. The air people breathe and the national forests people visit are examples of collective goods. Leads to the free rider problem
inside lobbying
direct communication between organized interests and policymakers, which is based on the assumed value of close ("inside") contacts with policymakers -Lobbyists concentrate on contacting policymakers to supply them with information that supports the groups position on pending policy -directed at policymakers who are inclined to support the group -interest groups spend MONEY on lobbying
When lobbyists supply policymakers with information and indications of group strength to persuade them to adopt the groups perspective, the activity is called...
inside lobbying
Define lobbying and explain its objective
the process by which interest group members or lobbyists attempt to influence public policy through contacts with public officials (communication with public officials)
single issue politics
the situation in which separate groups are organized around nearly every conceivable policy issue and press their demands and influence to the utmost (groups have influence over public policy)
Lobbying Congress
Targets of inside lobbing are officials of all 3 government branches (legislative, executive and judicial) -with support in congress a group can obtain the legislative help it needs to achieve its policy goals (goal is to make allies in congress) -members of congress also receive benefits from ties to lobbyists (lobbyists must play fair)
What is an agency capture?
The capture theory holds that, overtime, regulatory agencies side with the industries they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public, which they are supposed to protect. (ex. FDA and oil spill)
Flaws in Pluralism
-the claim that the group system is representative
What are the 4 main types of economic groups?
1. business groups: corporations, business firms 2. labour groups: seek to promote policies that benefit workers in general and union members. The dominant labor group is the AFL-CIO. Lots of unionized employees that work for local government 3. farm groups: ex. American Farm Bureau Federation, National Farmers Union, etc. Agricultural groups do not always agree on policy issues. Each farm association acts as a separate lobby, seeking to obtain policies that will serve its members particular interests. 4. professional groups: ex. American Medical Association (AMA)
Outside lobbying tactics include...
1. encouraging group members to write, phone or email their representatives in congress 2. seeking favorable coverage by news media 3. encouraging members to support candidates in elections 4. targeting group resources on key election races 5. making PAC contributions to candidates. Through a groups PAC, they can solicit voluntary contributions from members or employees and then donate this money to candidates.
Discuss the activities of political action committees and their influence on the election process.
A group's election contributions are funneled through its PAC: The organization through which an interest group raises and distributes funds for election purposes. By law, the funds must be raised through voluntary contributions. -PAC contributions account for roughly a third of total contributions to congressional campaigns -associated with businesses, trade associations, citizens groups (public interest, single-issue, ideological groups), labor unions -contribute money to incumbents -PACs give interest groups a level of access to lawmakers that ordinary citizens lack; Critics complain that PACs give interest groups far too much influence on Congress
pluralist theory
A theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies. (The pluralist theory of American politics holds that society's interests are represented most effectively through group action and that organized groups are a source for a sound governance.)
Lobbying the Courts
Interest groups are able to receive their policy goals through the courts. They have several judicial lobbying options, including efforts to influence the selection of federal judges which intern influences the outcome of a court decision (fabricating a case). Judicial lobbying includes lawsuits. Legal action is a primary means of lobbying for some organizations
Advantages and disadvantages of size
Interest of groups with small memberships prevails over the interest of bigger groups. Small groups are more united on policy issues and often have more resources, enabling them to win out against large groups. Business groups in a specific industry are few in number and have an incentive to work together to influence government on issues of joint interest. However, there is strength in numbers.
Discuss the conflict between the advocacy of self-interest as the basic prerequisite for a free society and the government's responsibility to protect and preserve the public interest (the Madisonian dilemma). Also, explain how James Madison's constitutional system of checks and balances resulted in an increase of special interest influence.
James Madison recognized the dilemma inherent in group activity. Although he worried that interest groups would have too much political influence, he argued in Federalist No.10 that a free society must allow the pursuit of self-interest. Unless people can promote the separate opinions that stem from differences in their needs, values and possessions, they are not free people. Madison's solution to the problem of factions is now part of the problem. Our system of checks and balances makes it easy for interest groups to gain government support. Groups receive a huge share of government benefits and have nearly an unbreakable hold on them.
How do interest groups differ from political parties?
Political parties address a broad range of issues to appeal to a diverse bloc of voters. Parties are in the business of trying to win elections, whereas groups concentrate on policies directly affecting their interests. A groups major purpose is to influence the policies that affect it.
free-rider problem
The situation in which the benefits offered by a group to its members are also available to nonmembers. The incentive is to join the group and to promote its cause is reduced because nonmembers (free riders) receive the benefits (for example, a cleaner environment) without having to pay any of the group's costs. The non-contributors are free riders: they receive the benefit without paying for it.
interest-group liberalism
The tendency of public officials to support the policy demands of self-interest groups (as opposed to judging policy demands according to whether they serve a larger conception of "the public interest"). CORRUPT
iron triangle
a small and informal but relatively stable group of well positioned legislators, executives, and lobbyists who seek to promote policies beneficial to a particular interest. Groups embedded in iron triangles have an inside track to well positioned legislators and bureaucrats. (Example: The Agricultural triangle: department of agriculture (bureaucrats), agricultural committees of congress (legislators), and farm groups (lobbyists) -LONG LASTING RELATIONSHIP
Economic interest groups have an advantage over other groups chiefly because of their...
access to financial resources
Advantages and disadvantages of citizens groups
advantages 1. Members are likely to support leaders political efforts because they joined the group in order to influence 2. The internet disadvantages 1. the group has to raise funds, especially for its political activities 2. potential members may choose not to join the group because they receive the same benefits even if they do not join (free rider problem) 3. Potential members may choose not to join the group because their individual contribution may be too small to affect the groups success one way or the other.
citizens (noneconomic) groups
organized interests formed by individuals drawn together by opportunities to promote a cause in which they believe but that does not provide them significant individual economic benefits (they have a purposive incentive-the satisfaction of contributing to what they regard as a worthy goal or purpose) THEY ARE GROUPS ANYONE CAN JOIN -some citizens groups work to advance the interests of a particular social grouping or the promotion of a political ideology (EX. NAACP, ACU, PIRGS) -little funds for political activities
