POLS 229 Chapter 9

Under federal law, PACs can contribute up to ________ per candidate for federal office for a primary election and general election combined.

$10,000

Under federal law, PACs can contribute up to ________ per candidate for federal office in a primary election.

$5000

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. - America's federal system of government. - the separation of powers in American government. - All of these answers are correct.

PAC contributions account for about ________ of total congressional campaign spending.

20 percent

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

90 percent

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

ACLU

The limits of interest groups' use of extreme tactics might be gauged by the congressional Democratic backlash against the ________, which tried to block the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993.

AFL-CIO

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

American Conservative Union

Economist Mancur Olson refers to what aspect of 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.

he citizens of ________ have the largest number of organized interest groups at their disposal.

The United States

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.

How do pluralists counter the argument that well-funded interest groups have more influence on policymaking than other interest groups?

They argue that the system is very open and almost all interests are included.

To have great influence, an outside lobbying group must generally have one of two things: a lot of money or

a committed membership

Which of the following is an interest group more likely to champion than a political party?

a controversial issue

The term iron triangle 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 an interest group function?

addressing a broad and diverse range of public issues

The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on campaigns as long as there is no coordination with the candidate.

In the 1830s, the Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville wrote that the "principle of ________" was nowhere more evident than in America.

association

The influence of interest groups through the courts occurs through

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

The largest number of PACs are those associated with

business

The most numerous economic groups are

business groups

The Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) ruling held that corporation and union spending on elections

can be unlimited but not coordinated with election campaigns.

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

cannot be selectively granted or denied to individuals; it belongs to all.

The second-largest number of PACs are those associated with

citizens' groups

The air we breathe is an example of a

collective good

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

James Madison argued

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

The situation in which individuals 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

Super PACs have been criticized primarily for

giving too much influence to the wealthy.

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.

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

issue network

A main difference between iron triangles and issue networks is that

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

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

lobbying support for agency programs

According to a study by the Center for Responsive Politics, what was roughly the amount spent on lobbying per hour that Congress was in session?

more than $1 million

Roughly how many American workers currently belong to unions?

one in nine

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

pluralist theory.

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 greater divisions of power that allow special-interest groups more points of access and outsized influence in the policy process.

An interest group that focuses on achieving legalization of marijuana at the federal level would be an example of a(n)

single-issue group

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.

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

Why have issue networks become more prevalent?

the increasing complexity of policy problems

A flaw in pluralism theory is the fact that

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

A purposive incentive is defined as

the satisfaction of contributing to a worthy goal or purpose.

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.

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

there is no material incentive for members in their pursuit of the group's goals.

Economic groups have an advantage over noneconomic groups in part because

they have greater access to financial resources.

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

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

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.