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Interest Groups

. . A Pluralistic Society. Pluralism -- the theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the gov't. The outcome of this competition is compromise and moderationMany groups compete for attention, but despite the array of interest groups in American politics, are all

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Interest Groups

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    1. Interest Groups Take in a greater variety of parties and interest [and] you make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens. [Hence the advantage] enjoyed by a large over a small republic. -James Madison, Federalist 10

    2. A Pluralistic Society Pluralism -- the theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the govt. The outcome of this competition is compromise and moderation Many groups compete for attention, but despite the array of interest groups in American politics, are all interests are represented equally? Are the results of the competition consistent with the common good? Some critics note: The flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings w/ a strong upper-class accent.

    3. Interest Groups Def.-Individuals who organize to influence the governments programs and policies. Sometimes referred to as lobbies, and are sometimes confused w/ political action committees (which are actually groups that focus on influencing elections rather than trying to influence the elected more on them later) Millions of Americans are members of one or more groupsAre your parents?

    4. Different Kinds of Interest Groups Economic-Business; Trade; Labor; Professional Associations; Agricultural Ideological Groups Public Interest Groups Foreign Policy Government Groups

    5. Business & Agricultural When most people think of interest groups, they usually think of groups with a direct economic interest in governmental actions. These groups are generally supported by groups of producers or manufacturers in a particular economic sector. Examples: National Petroleum Refiners Association, American Farm Bureau Federation (also specific companies like Shell Oil, IBM, GM, Coca Cola, etc.)

    6. Labor Groups (aka Unions) Labor organizations are equally active lobbyists; they lobby on behalf of organized labor Ex: AFL-CIO, United Mine Workers, and Teamsters In recent years, groups have arisen to further the interests of public employees (American Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employees) Their influence has decreased as the economy has changed from industrial to service-based.

    7. The Free Rider Problem Recruiting of members can be difficult when, at times, the benefits of a groups success are often broadly available and cannot be denied to nonmembers If union membership is optional in a state, it is an open shop state, unlike closed shop states, where union membership may be required. Free riders - those who enjoy the benefits of the collective goods but did not participate

    8. Professional Associations These have been particularly successful in furthering their members interests in state and federal legislatures due to their specialized expertise & organization. Ex: American Bar Association, American Medical Association, NEA (public school teachers) A group like the AMA can have an extraordinary effect on health care policy.

    9. Public Interest Groups These seek to represent interests whose concerns are not addressed by traditional lobbies Most visible in the consumer protection and environmental policy areas Ex: Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists, Common Cause Ralph Nader became famous through his public interest lobbying Also includes tax-exempt charities, such as the Scouts, American Cancer Society

    10. Ideological Groups Typically driven by a cause, and not by money Often unwilling to compromise. People for the American Way (promotes liberal views), Christian Coalition (conservative social goals), & National Taxpayers Union (reduce size of govt), Pro-life and pro-choice groups

    11. Public-Sector Groups These groups often times are comprised of think tanks and universities that have an interest in obtaining govt funds for research and support National League of Cities, Harvard University, the Brookings Institute, and American Enterprise Institute

    12. Foreign Policy Groups Groups that organize to endorse or oppose U.S. foreign policy E.g. Council on Foreign Relations Many have a narrow focus, targeting a specific part of the world. E.g. (AIPAC- American-Israel Political Action Committee)

    13. A thought What interest groups do you suppose tried to influence health care reform in American, and how did they do it?

    14. How Powerful is a Group? Size Commitment level of members Spread (extent to which membership is concentrated or dispersed) Extent to which they affect a policy area Resources

    15. Organization of Groups Interest Groups usually consist of: A) Formal leaders- small in #, paid B) People intensely involved with the group- huge amount of time/effort C) Members in name only- not really reliable

    16. So Why Join? Interest groups offer numerous incentives to join (they make various selective benefits available only to group members Informational benefits - the most widespread and important category of selective benefits offered to members (through conferences, training programs, newsletters, etc) Material benefits - special goods, services, or money provided to members of groups to entice others to join (discount purchasing, shared advertising, health & retirement insurance) Solidarity Benefits - friendship and networking Purposive Benefits - the purpose and accomplishments of the group (Religious groups may offer no material benefits, but their success depends on the religious identifications and affirmations of members)

    17. AARP Founded in 1958 by a retired California H.S. principal, Ethel Percy Andrus to find affordable health insurance for herself and members of National Retired Teachers Association AARP is now a large, powerful organization w/ an annual income of $540 million (plus $90 mil in fed. Grants) Natl HQ in DC is staffed by 1,750 full-time employees (Modern Maturity is its monthly periodical) Despite its size, (40 million members) the leadership has kept from large factional disputes thus far Its respected (and feared) through DC -- Medicare prescription drug plans are evidence of this How did they overcome free riders? Selective benefits (started w/ insurance and expanded all the way to hotel & restaurant discounts!)

    18. Characteristics of Members Membership in interest groups is not randomly distributed in the population. Higher incomes, higher levels of education, and management or professional occupations are much more likely to become members of groups than those who are of lower SES (socio-economic status) Well-educated, upper-income business and professional people are more likely to have the time and money to have acquired through the educational process the concerns and skills needed to play a role in a group or association. Plus, membership for these people may help advance careers Result = interest groups have an upper-class bias

    19. Members Despite the upper-class bias, there are many interest groups and political associations that have working-class or lower-class membership (labor & welfare-rights groups) Political parties have to rally and organize members of large numbers of people (who may have limited resources), whereas interest groups generally organize smaller numbers of the better-to-do

    20. Activity As a class, come up with an issue you feel needs to be adopted and an interest group that would pursue it. Now, list all the possible ways in which an interest group might work to make their cause a reality.

    21. Strategies of Interest Groups Publicity and Mass Media Appeals Direct Lobbying Litigation (Using the Courts) Mobilizing Public Opinion Using Electoral Politics

    22. Direct Lobbying Lobbying - an attempt by a group to influence the policy process through persuasion of govt officials 1946 Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act defines a lobbyist as any person who shall engage himself for pay or any consideration for the purpose of attempting to influence the passage or defeat of any legislation of the Congress of the U.S. 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act requires all organizations employing lobbyists to register w/ Congress and to disclose whom they represent, whom they lobby, what they seek, and how much theyre paid (more than 7,000 are registered)

    23. Groups to Lobby Congress - 1st Amendment guarantees the right to petition, often times lobbying is based on networks of personal relationships Lobbyists have substantial influence in setting the legislative agenda & craft specific language (and they testify before committees) President - usually helps to have links to the Presidents staff Executive Branch (Agencies)

    24. Litigation (Using the Courts) Interest groups turn to litigation when they lack access or when they are dissatisfied with govt in general or with a specific govt program and feel they have insufficient influence to change the situation Interest groups can use the courts to affect public policy in at least three ways: Bringing suit directly on behalf of the group itself Financing suits brought by individuals Filing a companion brief as amicus curiae (friend of the court) to an existing court case

    25. Examples - Abortion Roe v. Wade, 1973 - took away a states power to ban abortions Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, 1989 - restored the right of states to place restrictions on abortion (brought more than 300 interest groups on both sides to the Supreme Court)

    26. Examples - NAACP Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka (1954) Supreme Court held that legal segregation of the schools was unconstitutional

    27. Examples - Business Business groups are frequent users of the courts because of the # of govt programs applied to them (areas such as taxation, antitrust, patents, etc.) Businesses dont want to get Microsofted - When the anti-trust suits were brought against Microsoft, Gates didnt have lobbyists in place in Congress to aid them Discrimination and equal rights suits have been very successful

    28. Mobilizing Public Opinion Institutional Advertising - advertising designed to create a positive image of an organization Social Movements - Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC -MLK) sponsored boycotts, sit-ins, mass rallies, and marches; gay rights groups organized a mass rally as part of the efforts to protest military exclusion Grassroots Mobilization - campaign in which a group mobilizes its membership to contact govt officials in support of the groups position

    29. Election Activities Contributions to political parties Targeting members of Congress for defeat or election Aligning with a political party to increase your power (e.g. Democrats and Labor, Republicans and Business) In some cases, may form your own political partye.g. Ralph Nader and Green Party

    30. What Interest Groups Should I Know About? AARP- American Assn. of Retired Persons NRA- National Rifle Assn. Environmental- Sierra Club or Greenpeace Professional Groups- AMA (Doctors), ABA (Lawyers), NEA(Public School Teachers) Pro-life & Pro-choice groups Unions- AFL-CIO, Teamsters

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