Interest Groups: Organizing for Influence

Which of the following represents a shared view of pluralists and their critics?

Interest groups are important to bringing the concerns of groups of individuals to the attention of government

What are the advantages enjoyed by a large interest group such as the AARP?

It can generate a large amount of mail to members of Congress. It has a large stay that lobbies the federal government. It is well-finances, even though individual members' dues are low.

Interest groups tend to rely on the courts to advance their policy goals when they have ______.

a low chance of achieving their goals through legislation; a cause that's unpopular with the public

What is a super PAC?

an independent expenditure only committee

The interest-group system in the United States overrepresents ______.

business interests

Which of the following is a benefit to the public that results from the promotion of a special interest?

It can have a positive effect on other interests, such as through job creation

True or false: According to political scientist Mancur Olson, interest groups with smaller memberships usually prevail because they are able to join together and pool resources.

True.

Which of the following are the components of an iron triangle?

executive agencies; interest groups; congressional committees

True or false: Those interest groups that are poorly organized run the risk of being ignored politically.

True

Lobbying elected officials includes which of the following activities?

face-to-face meetings with members of Congress

Modern lobbyists primarily concentrate on providing lawmakers with

arguments and evidence for their position

Congressional Committee

budget support for a program

Which of the following is a way in which special interest groups can donate money to candidates?

by forming a political action committee (PAC)

government agency

constituent service

Among economic groups, which type are the most numerous?

business groups

The incentives that most noneconomic groups offer include ______.

collective goods

Which of the following types of interest groups is classified as an economic type

Agriculture

The effort of the writers of the Constitution to devise a governing system that would guard against tyranny of the majority resulted in which consequence?

America's system of divided power provides abundant opportunities for interest groups to achieve their policy goals

Which of the following states have 800 or more registered lobbyists within the state?

California; Texas; New York

______ goods are those that belong to all people and cannot be withheld on an individual basis, such as clean air or water.

Collective.

Interest Groups

Electoral support to members of Congress

Interest groups that are not directly involved in litigation may file amicus curiae briefs to ______

Encourage a ruling that is beneficial to their cause

True or false: Retired lawmakers cannot become lobbyists because they are forbidden by law to take a lobbying job.

False.

How have advances in technology affected the free-rider problem?

It has lessened it.

Which political leader wrote that the government must dilute the influence of factions and interest groups by filtering their views through properly structured governing institutions?

James Madison

Which of the following are private goods? (Choose every correct answer.)

Jobs. Retirement plans.

Which of the following are ways in which members of Congress benefit from ties to lobbyists?

Lobbyists provide information on specific pieces of legislation

The states that border Mexico all have ______ registered lobbyists.

More than 800

______ lobbying involves bringing public pressure on policymakers, such as organizing a letter writing campaign to members of Congress.

Outside

Which of the southern states has fewer than 400 registered lobbyists?

South Carolina

A person known as a(n)_______rider derives a benefit without contributing to its achievement.

free

In the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act, the corporate tax cut is permanent, whereas the individual tax cut has an end date. This difference illustrates the fact that:

getting smaller, more focused business groups to work together on an issue can be highly effective

Super PACs are legally forbidden from which of the following?

giving money directly to political parties; giving money directly to candidates

In an iron triangle, ______ provide campaign contributions to ______ in order to gain their support for a particular policy proposal

groups; members of Congress

Rather than using threats, interest groups tend to influence lawmakers by providing them with ______.

information that supports the group's policy positions

A(n) ________ ________ is comprised of various actors that all have interest and expertise in a particular policy issue, even though they may disagree on what the outcome should be.

issue; network

Which of the following are among interest groups' judicial lobbying options?

lawsuits. influencing the selection of federal judges. filing amicus curiae briefs

______ refers broadly to efforts by groups to influence public policy through contact with public officials.

lobbying

Jobs, higher wages, and tax incentives are all examples of ______ incentives to joining interest groups.

material

Political scientist Mancur Olson argues that small interest groups can be more powerful than larger groups as long as they are more ______.

organized

An interest group may form a(n) ________ ________ ________whose main goal is to raise and spend money to influence the outcome of elections.

political action committee

_______ goods refer to benefits that are given directly to particular individuals as a result of belonging to an interest group.

private

One of the positive contributions that interest groups make is ______

providing a form of representations for organized groups

Outside lobbying is aimed at bringing ______ pressure to bear on policymakers.

public

Interest group influence is particularly strong among ______ agencies that are responsible for overseeing the nation's business sectors.

regulatory

Agency capture refers to the situation where Blank______ side with the industry they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public that they are supposed to protect.

regulatory agencies

An interest group is an organization that ______.

seeks to influence government policy

Compared to iron triangles, the relationship between actors in an issue network tends to be more ______.

temporary

Which one of these groups is an example of a citizens' group?

the National Organization for Women