1. Interest Groups and Lobbying

2. What is an Interest Group?
Organized group of individuals that share common goals or objectives
Work to influence policymakers in all three branches of government, and at all levels
Pluralism

3. Why People Join Interest Groups?
Free Riders
Someone who can obtain the benefits of membership without participation or even joining
Incentives
Solidary incentives
Material incentives
Purposive incentives

4. Types of Interest Groups
Economic Interest Groups
Environmental Interest Groups
Public Interest Groups
Special Interest Groups

5. Public & Special Interest Groups
Public Interest Groups – groups that advocate the interests of the collective, overall community
Nader organizations -- organizations organized under the leadership of consumer activist Ralph Nader
Special Interest Groups – narrowly focused interest groups.
Examples include abortion interest groups and groups that advocate for individuals who share a racial, ethnic or age association

6. Interest Group Strategies: Direct Techniques
Lobbying – meeting officials and attempting to convince of your position on an issue; Lobbying also entails
testifying before congressional committees
testifying before executive rulemaking agencies
assisting in the drafting of legislation
entertaining legislators
providing information to legislators
assisting in nominating individuals to government posts
Ratings – scoring legislators based on their votes in congress, then making interested constituents aware of those scores
Campaign Assistance – providing workers for political campaigns
Political Action Committees –a committee that raises money and gives donation on behalf of organizations to political candidates or political parties.

7. Interest Group Strategies: Indirect Techniques
Generating Public Pressure – trying to influence the government by using public opinion on an issue
Using Constituents as Lobbyists
shotgun approach means having large numbers of constituents act in concert by writing, ing, phoning or sending postcards to a legislator
rifle approach involves having an influential constituent contact a legislator on a particular issue
Building Alliances – forming alliances with other diverse groups who share a policy goal

8. Congressional Committees
The Iron Triangle
Congressional Committees
Interest Groups
Executive agencies

9. Attempts at Regulating Lobbyists
Some regulations on lobbying passed in include
defining “lobbyist”
requiring lobbyists to register
requiring semiannual reports
Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (BUSH 43)
Quaterly reporting
$10K spending cap
Earmarks made public
Obama
Claimed would not employ lobbyists in administration
Limited access to administration officials
By 2010, many former lobbyists had administration posts