Government ch. 8

AARP: American Association of Retired Persons:

60 million members pay $13 a year

Interest Group:

A group that wants to push an agenda or policy. An organized body of individuals who share similar goals and to seek to influence public policy or laws.

Grassroots Mobilization

A lobbying campaign in which a group mobilizes its membership to contact government officials in support of the group's position

New Politics Movement

A political movement that began in the 1960s and '70s, made up of professionals and intellectuals for whom the civil rights and antiwar movements were formative experiences; the New Politics movement strengthened public interest groups

Lobbying

A strategy by which organized interests seek to influence the passage of legislation or other public policy by exerting direct pressure on members of the legislature

Institutional Advertising

Advertising designed to create a positive image of an organization

Membership Association

An organized group in which members actually play a substantial role, sitting on committees and engaging in group projects

Collective Goods

Benefits, sought by groups, that are broadly available and cannot be denied to nonmembers

Characteristics of a lobbyist:

Charismatic, Persuasive, Motivational, Personable, Expert in their field, and Knowledgeable of their field.

Pluralism:

Different competing groups in our country.

Various types of interest groups:

Economic, Public, and government units

Which of the following best describes the federal government's laws regarding lobbying?

Federal law requires all lobbyists to disclose the amounts and sources of small campaign contributions they collect from clients and "bundle" into large contributions, as well as the funds they use to rally voters

Corporate PAC:

Formed by corporations

Biggest problem for any interest group:

Free Rider Problem

What contributes to interest groups' success?

Good leadership, Adequate funding, and Solid membership base

Netroots

Grassroots online activist organizations that have redefined membership and fund-raising practices and streamlined staff structure

Citizen Groups

Groups that claim they serve the general good rather than only their own particular interest

Interest Group

Individuals who organize to influence the government's programs and policies

Program Monitoring:

Interest groups act as watch dogs; they alert their members and the public on any issues.

Participation:

Interest groups allow more people to participate in democracy.

Education:

Interest groups educate their members and the public about their interests and issues.

Agenda Building:

Interest groups place items on the agenda.

Representation:

Interest groups represent their members before the government.

LULAC:

League of United Latin American Citizens

Government Units:

Local governments forming interest groups to collect federal money.

MADD:

Mothers Against Drunk Drivers

Single Issue Interest Groups:

Only have one issue

Christian Coalition of America:

Pro-life, against gay marriage, and have strong family values.

Sierra Club:

Protects national parks

Rules of interest groups:

Representation, participation, education, agenda building, and program monitoring.

Economic Interest Groups:

Represents and promotes the economic interests of their members

Leadership Theory:

Robert Salisbury: argues that interest groups form depending on the quality of a dynamic leader.

Public Interest Groups:

Seek a collective good which does not necessarily benefit them only.

Solidary Benefits

Selective benefits of group membership that emphasize friendship, networking, and consciousness raising

Informational Benefits

Special newsletters, periodicals, training programs, conferences, and other information provided to members of groups to entice others to join

Which of the following is not an activity in which interest groups frequently engage?

Starting their own political party

Iron Triangle

The stable, cooperative relationships that often develop among a congressional committee, an administrative agency, and one or more supportive interest groups; not all of these relationships are triangular, but the iron triangle is the most typical

Pluralism

The theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the government; the outcome of this competition is compromise and moderation

Free Riders

Those who enjoy the benefits of collective goods but did not participate in acquiring them

Staff Organization

Type of membership group in which a professional staff conducts most of the group's activities

UFWU: Caesar Chavez:

United Farm Workers Union

Prior to 2010,

a PAC could only give $5000

PACs throw money against or for

a candidate and/or campaign

A loose network of elected leaders, public officials, activists, and interest groups drawn together by a public policy issue is referred to as

an iron triangle

Which of the following is a way that interest groups use the courts to influence public policy?

filing amicus briefs

Lobbyists are hired

full-time and part-time by interest groups to influence and persuade policy makers to adopt certain interests.

Discount purchasing and health insurance are examples of

material benefits

The theory that competition among organized interests will produce balance, with all the interests regulating one another is

pluralism

To overcome the free-rider problem, groups

provide selective benefits

Friendship and networking are examples of

solidary benefits

Interests with a lot of money

tend to hire lobbyists

PAC:

Political Action Committee: legal way of giving money to an election

NARRAL: National Association of Reproductive Rights Action League

Pro-choice

Green Peace:

Protects endangered species

Grey Panthers:

Protects old people

Which types of interest groups are most often associated with the New Politics movement?

Public interest groups

Purposive Benefits

Selective benefits of group membership that emphasizes the purpose and accomplishments of the group

Material Benefits

Special goods, services, or money provided to members of groups to entice others to join

Citizens united (speechnow.org)

argued that giving to campaigns is a form of freedom of speech

Army of God:

argues that you should never get an abortion; pro-life

Free Rider Problem:

"Sponges"; something for nothing

Ideological PAC:

A PAC formed over an idea

Political Action Committee (PAC)

A private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns

Two general PACs:

Corporate and Ideological

Disturbance theory:

David Truman: argues that interest groups form when people are adversely and negatively effected by a disturbance in their life.

Multiple Issue Interest Groups:

Deals with many related issues

Which of the following are examples of the "going public" strategy?

Institutional advertising, grassroots advertising, and protests and demonstrations

Which of the following is an important reason for the enormous increase in the number of groups seeking to influence the American political system?

The increase in the size and activity of government during the last few decades

Groups that claim to serve the general good, rather than their own particular interests are

citizen groups

Highways and parks are

public goods

NAACP: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People:

racial profiling, civil rights, and diversity.

At the end of 2010,

there were 1300 PACs

NRA: National Rifle Association:

wants to keep 2nd Amendment; Brady Bill (1993) started in 1981.