[POLS 206] Ch. 6 Interest Groups

Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)

a 1971 act that allowed unions and corporations to form political action committees to raise and contribute campaign funds to candidates

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

a 2010 Supreme Court case holding that a provision of the McCain-Feingold Act prohibiting corporations and unions from broadcasting "electioneering communications" within 60 days of a general election is an unconstitutional limitation on the First Amendment guarantee of free speech; it also held that corporations and labor unions can spend unlimited amounts of money in campaigns

public good

a benefit that is provided to everyone and cannot be withheld from those who did not participate in its provision

interest group

a group organized around a set of views or preferences in order to try to influence government decision makers

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)

a law that limits hard money contributions during each election cycle to $2000 from individuals and $5000 from PACs

test case

a lawsuit filed to test the constitutionality of some government policy

amicus curiae brief

a legal brief filed by someone or some organization with an interest in a case but not an actual party

coalition building

a means of expanding an interest group's influence that involves working with other groups

free rider

a person who makes the strictly rational choice to enjoy the benefits of public goods without incurring the costs of providing them, thus presenting a dilemma to the community as a whole

selective benefits

benefits provided by interest groups that are available to members only

purposive benefits

benefits that interest group members derive from feeling good about contributing to a worthy cause in an effort to improve the lot of society in general, not just the individual concerns of the group's members

soft money

campaign contributions given to political parties rather than directly to candidates

hard money

campaign contributions made directly to candidates and regulated by law

direct lobbying

direct contact by lobbyists with government officials in an effort to influence policy

single-issue groups

groups that take positions and are active on only one specific issue (for example, abortions, guns, homosexuality, the environment)

lobbyist

individuals whose job it is to contact and attempt to influence government officials on behalf of others

exchange theory

interest groups form as a result of a deal--an exchange--between a group entrepeneur and an unorganized interest that may be underrepresented or not represented at all

pluralist theory of interest groups

interest groups form in reaction to problems created by particular social or economic events

rational

making choices that maximize benefits and minimize costs

political action committees (PACs)

organizations specifically created to raise money and make political contributions on behalf of an interest group

solidary benefits

satisfaction gained from membership in interest groups such as friendship and a sense of belonging to a group or meeting people with similar interests

group entrepeneur

someone who invests resources (such as time, money, and organizational skill) to create and build an organization that offers various types of benefit (material, solidary, and purposive) to entice others to join the group

material benefits

tangible rewards gained from membership in an interest group

lobbying

the activity of a group or person that attempts to influence public policymaking on behalf of themselves or the group

logrolling

the exchange of support on issues between individuals or groups in order to gain mutual advantage

collective action

the provision of public goods requires a group of people to work together

by-product theory

the theory that most people will not engage in collective action with the sole aim of producing public goods; instead, groups build membership by offering selective benefits available only to group members

indirect lobbying

the use of intermediaries by lobbyists to speak to government officials with the intent to influence policy

527 groups

unregulated political organizations formed mainly to influence elections