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American Government

American Government. Interest Groups. What Are Interest Groups?. Private organizations that try to shape public policy through extra-electoral channels Public interest groups (citizens’ groups): E.g., NAACP, Christian Coalition Private interest groups

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American Government

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  1. American Government Interest Groups

  2. What Are Interest Groups? • Private organizations that try to shape public policy through extra-electoral channels • Public interest groups (citizens’ groups): • E.g., NAACP, Christian Coalition • Private interest groups • Business groups, e.g., National Association of Manufacturers. • Professional organizations, e.g., The American Medical Association, the National Lawyers Guild • Labor Unions

  3. Historical View of Interest Groups • Madison’s Federalist No. 10 • Factions pursuing selfish aims contrary to the public interest • But must be tolerated to preserve civil liberties

  4. Madison’s Solution • Divide authority among federal institutions • Prevent any single faction from dominating • The nation’s diversity would foster a wide variety of competing interests • Design the system to foil the potential problem

  5. Pluralism—A Theory of Interest Group Influence • Government decisions reflect a process of bargaining among diverse interests in society • No single interest group dominates • Through negotiation, the common good is served

  6. Challenges to Pluralism • E.E. Schattschneider (1960): “The flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper-class accent. Probably about 90 percent of the people cannot get into the pressure system.”

  7. Challenges to Pluralism • Olson’s The Logic of Collective Action (1965) • Someone has to organize the group and find the resources • Problems such as free-riding must also be overcome • Some groups easier to organize than others • Small groups • Interests with much at stake

  8. Interest Group Explosion • Olson’s work undermined by huge growth of interest groups since the 1960s • Types of groups • Corporations • Labor unions • Colleges and universities • State and local governments • Religious groups • Non-profit organizations

  9. How Do Groups Recruit Members? • By offering selective incentives—benefits that go only to participants • Material benefits • Tote bags, mugs, etc. • Solidary benefits • Sense of belonging to a group • Expressive benefits • Sense of purpose/efficacy

  10. Has Interest Group Explosion Shifted the Balance of Power? • Interest group politics still skewed toward economic interests • Not always active groups (or similarly weighted groups) on both side of an issue

  11. Insider and Outsider Tactics • Insider Tactics: Trafficking in Information and Cultivating Access • Outsider Tactics: Altering the Political Forces

  12. Insider Tactics • Depend on personal access to government officials and work through mutually beneficial exchanges between lobbyists and politicians • Political information • How congressperson’s constituents are likely to react • If information is misleading or inflicts political damage, its source is damaged

  13. Outsider Tactics • Strategy to persuade politicians by altering the political forces they feel obliged to heed • Use of mass media to shape public opinion • Demonstrations, picketing, marches • Reports, news conferences

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