chapter 9

In an effort to overcome the free-rider problem, non economic groups have

used internet resources and computer-assisted mailing lists to target potential donors

About ____ percent of people who regularly listen to National Public Radio do not donate money to their local station.

90

Roughly how many American workers currently belong to unions?

one in eight

The theory that society's interests are most effectively represented through group action is

pluralist theory

The supreme court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on campaigns

An informal grouping of officials, lobbyists, and policy specialists who come together temporarily around a policy problem is

an issue network

Economist Mancur Olson refers to what aspect if interest groups as "the size factor"?

small groups are ordinarily more united on policy issues and often have more resources, enabling them to win out more often than large groups

A pluralist could be expected to argue that

society is best seen as a collective of separate interests

According to E. E. Schattschneider, the interest-group system has a

strong upper class bias

The supreme court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) ultimately led to the creation of

super PACs

In recent decades, lobbyists in Washington, D.C. have increasingly

targeted the executive branch in their efforts to influence policy decisions

The support of _________ was critical to passage of a controversial prescription drug program for the elderly in 2003.

the AARP

Which citizens' group did a Fortune magazine survey rank as the nation's most powerful lobbying group?

the AARP

The dominant labor interest group is

the AFL-CIO

Economic groups have an advantage over non economic groups because

they have greater access to financial resources

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, what was roughly the amount spent on lobbying in the United States in 2009?

$3.5 billion

Under federal law, PACs can contribute no more than ______________ per candidate in a primary election.

$5,000

Members of the ______________ generate more mail to Congress than any other group.

AARP

Which of the following groups primarily uses litigation as its lobbying method?

ACLU

The limits of interest groups' influence might be gauged by the Democratic backlash against the ______________, which tried to block the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993.

AFL-CIO

__________________ wrote that "Liberty is to faction what air is to fire."

James Madison

Which of the following organizations is NOT an example of a single issue group?

MoveOn.org

An interest group that focuses on policy benefits for senior citizens would be an example of

a single-issue group

The term iron triangles refers to

a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest

Which of the following is NOT a typical interest group function?

addressing a broad and diverse range of public issues

The influence of interest groups through the courts occurs though

both initiating lawsuits and lobbying for certain judges to be appointed to the bench

The largest number of PACs are those associated with

business

Some groups pursue collective goods. A collective good is one that

cannot be selectively granted or denied to individuals; it must be shared.

The air we breathe is an example of a

collective good

Early in the 2012 Republican presidential nominating race, some Super PAC televised ads were so untruthful that they were

criticized even by the candidates they were intended to help

Theodore Lowi's theory of interest-group liberalism

deals with the tendency of officials to support the policy demands of the interest group or groups that have a special stake in a policy

Outside lobbying does NOT include

developing and maintaining close contacts with policymakers

The most fully organized interests are those that have which of the following as their primary purpose?

economic activity

Economist Mancur Olson concluded that groups

exercise too much power in the American system

James Madison argued

for regulation of interests through a governing system of checks and balances

The situation in which individual are tempted not to contribute to a cause because they will get the benefits even if they do not participate is called the

free-rider problem

PACs tend to contribute the most money to

incumbents

Most lobbyists receive support from elected officials in direct exchange for

information

An amicus brief

is a written document in which a group explains to a court its position on a legal dispute the court is handling

A main difference between iron triangles and issue networks is that

issue networks are generally less stable then iron triangles, in that the members of an issue network may change as the issue develops

During his visit to this country in the 1830s, Alexis de Tocqueville described the United States as "a nation of ______________".

joiners

In dynamics of an iron triangle, what benefit do interest groups provide to friendly bureaucratic agencies?

lobbying support for agency programs

Grassroots lobbying is based on the assumption that officials will respond to

pressure from constituents

Another name for an interest group is

pressure group

Effective inside lobbying is based upon

providing useful and persuasive information to key officials

"Agency capture" occurs when

regulatory agencies side with the industries they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public

James Madison's solution to the problem of factions (special interests) has, in the modern policy process actually contributed to the problem by

resulting in a fragmentation of authority among policymakers, thereby providing groups more opportunities to get their way

A basic reason for the existence of so many interest groups in the United States is

the American tradition of free association, the extent of diverse interests in American society, Americas federal system of government, the separation of powers in America government. (all of these answers are correct.)

The citizens of ___________ are most actively involved in interest groups and community causes

the United States

Why have issue networks become more prevalent?

the increasing complexity of policy positions problems

A flaw in pluarlism theory is the fact that

the interest group system is unrepresentative because some interests are far better organized and more powerful than others

Which of the following statements would NOT be accepted by supporters of the pluralist view of interest groups?

the opinion of the majority should always prevail in a policy dispute over the opinion of a more intense and directly affected minority

A purposive incentive is defined as

the opportunity to contribute to a worthy goal or purpose

Citizens' interest groups are distinguished from economic interest groups by the fact that

their members receive no direct economic benefit from attainment of the groups goals

Political scientist Theodore Lowi has questioned pluralist theory by suggesting that

there is no concept of the public interest in a system that gives special interests the ability to determine the policies affecting them

Which of the following is true of employment in lobbying firms by members of Congress?

they are prohibited by law from lobbying Congress for a set period of time after leaving office

In acknowledging the dilemma inherent in group activity, James Madison

worried that government would be overly dominated by groups, but recognized that a free society is obliged to permit the advocacy of self interest