Interest Groups Types How Interest Groups Work

Types of Interest Groups Interest groups may be divided broadly into three general types: (1) economic interests (2) consumer (3) public interests (4) equality & justice

Economic Interests Concerned primarily with profits, prices, and wages Government can significantly effect them through regulations, subsidies, contracts, trade policy and tax advantages

Economic Interests (1) Labor Unions (2) Agriculture groups (3) Business groups (4) Professional groups

Economic Interests: Labor Unions Focus on better working conditions & higher wages To ensure their solidarity, unions have established the union shop( requires new employees to join the union representing them)

Economic Interests: Labor Unions Employers, on the other hand, have supported right-to-work laws Argue that union membership should be optional

Labor Unions Some, but by no means all, states have adopted right-to-work laws, but many union members work today in a union shop

Labor Unions In 1970 about 25% of the work force belonged to a union shop, but membership has been declining over the past 30 years

Labor Unions By 2000, unions were losing support among the general population, and many strikes were proving to be unsuccessful

Labor Unions However, national labor unions remain today as powerful lobby groups in Washington

Economic Interests: Agriculture Groups Once more powerful than they are today Now employs only a small fraction of the American public

Economic Interests: Agriculture Groups For many years, government policies that deal with acreage controls, price supports, and import quotas have been important to farmers

Economic Interests: Agriculture Groups There are several broad-based agricultural groups: National Farmers’ Organization American Farm Bureau Federation

Agriculture Groups Equally as important are the specialized agriculture groups Different crops have different groups: National Potato Council National Peanut Farmer

Economic Interests: Business Groups Large corporations, such as General Motors and GE, exercise considerable political influence, as do hundreds of smaller corporations

Economic Interests: Business Groups Since the late 1800s government has regulated business practices Those regulations continue to be a major concern of business interest groups

Economic Interests: Business Groups A less visible type represents trade associations Diverse as the products & services they provide

Economic Interests: Business Groups Examples include: Life insurance groups Tire manufacturers Restaurants Real estate dealers

Economic Interests: Business Groups The broadest trade association is the Chamber of Commerce Federation of several thousand local chambers of commerce representing tens of thousands of business firms

Economic Interests: Professional Groups Some of the most powerful interest groups Represent various occupations Some are well-known ones are the AMA, American Bar Association, NEA

Economic Interests: Professional Groups These groups are interested in the many government policies that affect their professions For example—lawyers are licensed by states, which set up certain standards of admission into the bar

Economic Interests: Professional Groups ABA is interested in influencing those standards AMA has been very involved in government proposals for nationally sponsored healthcare reforms, especially as they affect doctors

Consumer & Public Interest Groups Today over 2,000 groups champion causes “in the public interest”

Consumer & Public Interest Groups Differ from many other interest groups in that they: Seek a collective good Benefits for everyone--not just the members of the interest groups themselves

Public Interest Groups Began during the 1960s under the leadership of consumer advocated Ralph Nader

Public Interest Groups Nader first gained national attention with his book, Unsafe at Any Speed Attacked General Motors’ Corvair as a dangerous & mechanically deficient automobile

Public Interest Groups Public Interest Groups (PIRGs) actively promote: Environmental issues Safe energy Consumer protection Good government

Public Interest Groups PIRGs have national membership of more than 400,000, making them one of the largest individual membership organizations in the country

Public Interest Groups Another well known public interest group is Common Cause Founded in 1970 to promote electoral reform and a political process more open to the public

Environmental Interests A special type of public interest group focuses on environmental interests

Environmental Interests A few, like the Sierra Club and Audubon Society, were founded in the late 19 th century Most were created after 1970

Environmental Interests Environmental groups promote: Pollution control Wilderness protection Population control

Environmental Interests They have opposed: Strip-mining Oil pipelines Offshore oil drilling Nuclear power plants

Environmental Interests Their concerns often directly conflict with those of corporations whose activities they wish to control

Environmental Interests Energy producers argue that environmentalists oppose energy projects necessary to keep modern society operating

Equality & Justice Interests Interest groups have championed equal rights & justice, particularly for women & minorities

Equality & Justice Interests Oldest & largest is the NAACP NAACP—lobbied & pressed court cases to defend equal rights in voting, employment, and housing

Equality & Justice Interests Most prominent women’s rights organization is the NOW Pushed for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the 1970s

Equality & Justice Interests Although the amendment did not pass, NOW still lobbies for an end to sexual discrimination Other organizations that support equal rights are the National Urban League, Women’s Political Caucus