POL 101: Chapter 9: Interest Groups: Organizing for Influence: SmartBook
How have advances in technology affected the free-rider problem?
It has lessened it.
Which of the following types of interest groups is not classified as an economic interest group?
Consumer
Which type of interest group represents business firms of a particular kind, such as insurance companies?
Trade Association
Which of the following help interest groups participate more effectively in group politics?
* Contacts * Money * Skills
Which of the following is an advantage that economic groups have over citizens' groups?
Economic groups can provide material benefits (such as jobs) to those who are part of the group.
Lobbying elected officials includes which of the following activities?
Face-to-face meetings with members of Congress.
True or false: Both pluralists and their critics agree that interest groups have little influence over the government.
False
The type of interest group that addresses issues of concern to the general public and not just the group's members is called a(n) __________ interest group.
citizen's
Compared with the percentage of United States workers who were union members in the 1950s and 1960s, the percentage today is
lower.
Jobs, higher wages, and tax incentives are all examples of ______ incentives to joining interest groups.
material
The interest-group system tends to work primarily in favor of
corporate interests.
Which of the following are private goods?
* Jobs * Retirement Plans
Which of the following statements are true concerning interest groups?
* They broaden the range of issues that lawmakers address. * They can support controversial issues that lawmakers often avoid.
There are roughly ______ registered lobbyists who work in Washington.
12,000
Which of the following types of interest groups is classified as an economic type?
Agriculture
True or false: Retired lawmakers cannot become lobbyists because they are forbidden by law to take a lobbying job.
False
Which type of workers make up an increasing share of union workers?
Government Workers
One example of an environmental interest group is
Greenpeace.
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.
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission involved which issue affecting interest groups?
The limit on corporate and union spending in federal elections.
Benefits that belong to the entire group are referred to as
collective goods.
The incentives that most noneconomic groups offer include
collective goods.
While the relationship between actors in an iron triangle tends to be more long-lasting, issue networks tend to
disband once an issue is settled.
A person known as a(n) __________ rider derives a benefit without contributing to its achievement.
free
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 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
______ refers broadly to efforts by groups to influence public policy through contact with public officials.
Lobbying
__________ lobbying includes forming PACs and influencing the news media.
Outside
Outside lobbying is aimed at bringing ______ pressure to bear on policymakers.
public
What was Madison's constitutional solution to the problem of factions?
The system of checks and balances.
Capture theory argues that ______ sometimes focus more on the needs of industries than on the public interest.
regulatory agencies
Which of the following are the chief targets of interest groups when they lobby the executive branch?
Top officials of federal agencies.
What portion of all lobbying groups in Washington are business related?
Two-thirds
A simple way to describe citizens' groups is that they are groups
anyone can join.
An important feature of private goods is that
the group can withhold a benefit.
When lobbying Congress, what is the safest strategy?
Be aboveboard.
Which of the following best describes why many interest groups form political action committees (PACs)?
Because contributing to candidates' campaigns can help gain access for interest group lobbyists.
Which of the following is a way in which special interest groups can give money to candidates?
By forming a political action committee (PAC).
The states that border Mexico all have ______ registered lobbyists.
more than 800
Political scientist Mancur Olson argues that small interest groups can be more powerful than larger groups as long as they are more
organized.
Interest groups that are not directly involved in litigation may file amicus curiae briefs
to encourage a ruling that is benficial to their cause.
Which of the following states have 800 or more registered lobbyists within the state?
* California * Texas * New York
Which of the following are the components of an iron triangle?
* Executive Agencies * Interest Groups * Congressional Committees
Super PACs are legally forbidden from which of the following?
* Giving money directly to candidates. * Giving money directly to political parties.
Iron triangles work to the mutual benefit of the three members of the triangle. Match each iron triangle member to what it gets from the relationship.
* Members of Congress: electoral support. * Interest Group: beneficial policy decisions. * Federal Agency: support for their administrative programs.
Interest groups tend to rely on the courts to advance their policy goals when they have
* faced legislative hurdles. * a low chance of achieving their goals through elected officials.
Rather than using threats, interest groups tend to influence lawmakers by providing them with
information that supports the group's policy positions.
