1. INTEREST GROUPS
Chapter 8

2. Copyright © 2018 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
Learning Objectives
8.1 Outline how interest groups have developed over time 8.2 Identify the types of interest groups that have evolved 8.3 Describe activities interest groups engage in 8.4 Analyze what balances out power among interest groups 8.5 Assess what makes an interest group successful
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3. Interest Groups and Politics 1 of 4
What Are Interest Groups?
Group of citizens who share a common interest
Try to influence public policy to benefit members
Proactive and reactive groups
L.O. 8.1: Outline how interest groups have developed over time.
interest groups:
Groups of citizens who share a common interest—a political opinion, religious or ideological belief, a social goal, or an economic characteristic— and try to influence public policy to benefit themselves.
Key Questions
Why do you think Americans like to join organizations? How does this tendency relate to American political culture?
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4. Interest Groups and Politics 2 of 4
The Right to Assemble and to Petition
Right of association in First Amendment
Framers fearful of factions
Right of petition
Lobbying
right of association:
Right to freely associate with others and form groups, as protected by the First Amendment.
faction:
Defined by Madison as any group that places its own interests above the aggregate interests of society.
right of petition:
Right to ask the government for assistance with a problem or to express opposition to a government policy, as protected by the First Amendment.
lobbying:
Act of trying to persuade elected officials to adopt a specific policy change or maintain the status quo.
Key Questions
Do you think interest groups are divisive and polarizing? Or do they bring citizens together? Can you give examples to support your opinion?
Are you a member of any groups? Why did you join?
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5. Interest Groups and Politics 3 of 4
Citizens have been using their right to petition to influence government since the earliest days of the democracy. Here female lobbyists in the late nineteenth century are trying to persuade members of Congress in the Marble Room of the U.S. Capitol. Although women did not yet have the right to vote, they still went to Washington to make their voices heard on issues that were important to them.
The Granger Collection, NYC
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6. Interest Groups and Politics 4 of 4
The History of Interest Groups
Citizens opposed to slavery
Women’s suffrage
Trade associations during Industrialization
Labor unions
Prohibition
Today, grassroots movements
unions:
Interest groups of individuals who share a common type of employment and seek better wages and working conditions through collective bargaining with employers.
Grassroots movement:
Group that forms in response to an economic or political event but does not focus on only one issue.
Key Questions
How did interest groups work to end slavery? How long did it take women’s suffrage groups to accomplish their goal?
Are groups representing manufacturers and corporations more or less powerful than citizens’ interest groups? Do groups balance out each other?
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7. Types of Interest Groups 1 of 3
Economic Interest Groups
Trade and Professional Associations
Individuals who share similar jobs
Corporations
Unions
Protect workers - better wages/working conditions
Declining membership
L.O. 8.2: Identify the types of interest groups that have evolved.
economic interest group:
Group formed to advance the economic status of its members.
Key Questions
What are the professional associations in the career field you are thinking of now? Are they worth joining?
Do you know any union members? Are you a union member, or would you join a union?
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8. Percentage of Wage and Salary Workers with Union Membership, 1983-2015
Figure 8.1
Private-sector union membership has been declining over time, while public-sector union membership has increased.
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9. Unions with the Largest Membership 2015
Number of Members (in Millions)
National Education Association (NEA)
3.0
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
2.0
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
1.6
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)
1.4
United Food and Commercial Works International Union (UFCW)
1.3
Table 8.1
Source: National Education Association, Service Employees International Union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, American Federation of Teachers, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union,
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10. Types of Interest Groups 2 of 3
Ideological and Issue-Oriented Groups
Citizens’ groups
Single-issue groups
ideological interest groups:
Groups that form among citizens with the same beliefs about a specific issue.
citizens’ groups:
Groups that form to draw attention to purely public issues that affect all citizens equally.
single-issue groups:
Groups that form to present one view on a highly salient issue that is intensely important to members, such as gun control or abortion.
Key Questions
How do ideological interest groups contribute to polarization?
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11. Types of Interest Groups 3 of 3
Foreign Policy and International Groups
Groups That Influence Foreign Policy
AIPAC
Groups That Advocate International Aid and Support for Human Rights
Nongovernmental organizations
Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs):
Organizations independent of governments that monitor and improve political, economic, and social conditions throughout the world.
Key Questions
Should governments seek to solve hunger, disease, and other worldwide social problems? Or should private charities play this role?
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12. What Interest Groups Do 1 of 3
Inform
Interpret how policy will affect their mission
Lobby
The Lobbyists
Lobbying Strategies
Inside strategy
Outside strategy
Grassroots strategy
L.O. 8.3: Describe activities interest groups engage in.
inside strategy:
A strategy employed by interest groups to pursue a narrow policy change and influence legislators directly rather than using a wider grassroots approach.
Key Question
When interest groups gather and disseminate information, are they performing a public service? Or do they do it just to advance their own cause? If so, is there anything wrong with that?
Why is the public perception of lobbyists so negative?
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13. Top Spenders on Lobbying 2015 1 of 2
Lobbying Client
Issues
Dollars Spent
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Product Liability, finance, copyright, patent and trademark
$64,190,000
National Association of Realtors
Taxes, finance, housing
$23,484,557
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Health issues, taxes, Medicare and Medicaid
$17,966,780
American Medical Association
$23,955,000
General Electric
Energy, finance, air transport, railroads
$16,830,000
Table 8.2
Source: Adapted from Center for Responsive Politics, “Lobbying: Top Spenders, 2015,” accessed January 24,
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14. Top Spenders on Lobbying 2015 2 of 2
Lobbying Client
Issues
Dollars Spent
Boeing Corporation
Defense and aerospace
$16,755,000
American Hospital Association
Health issues, Medicare and Medicaid, federal budget and appropriations
$15,347,822
National Association of Manufacturers
Manufacturing and distributing
$14,720,000
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
Health issues, taxes, Medicare and Medicaid, pharmacy
$14,565,000
Table 8.2
Source: Adapted from Center for Responsive Politics, “Lobbying: Top Spenders, 2015,” accessed January 24,
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15. What Interest Groups Do 2 of 3
Watchdog groups hold public officials accountable for their behavior. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) publishes a website listing major scandals committed by public officials.
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16. What Interest Groups Do 3 of 3
Campaign Activities
501(c)(3) organizations exempt from federal tax
501(c)(4) organizations promote social welfare
Political Action Committees (PACs)
Buckley v. Valeo decision increased growth
Critics say disproportionate influence over legislators
Running issue ads
501(c)(3) organizations:
Tax-exempt groups that are prohibited from lobbying or campaigning for a party or candidate.
Tax-exempt groups that exist to promote social welfare and can advocate for a specific policy issue
political action committees (PACs):
Groups formed to raise and contribute funds to support electoral candidates and that are subject to campaign finance laws.
Key Questions
Should there be limits on how much money interest groups can contribute to campaigns? Why or why not?
Are issue ads fair or unfair? Are they informative or “disinformative”?
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17. Top 5 PAC Contributors to Republican Candidates 2015-16
PAC Name
Total Amount Given to Republicans
Honeywell International
$887,747
Lockheed Martin
$798,750
Majority Committee PAC
$775,000
American Bankers Association
$771,888
AT&T Inc.
$685,250
Table 8.3A
Source: Center for Responsive Politics accessed January 24, 2016
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18. Top 5 PAC Contributors to Democratic Candidates 2015-16
PAC Name
Total Amount Given to Democrats
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
$954,400
American Association for Justice
$783,000
Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union
$562,000
Empire PAC
$535,000
Communications Workers of America
$523,000
Table 8.3B
Source: Center for Responsive Politics accessed January 24, 2016
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19. The Impact of Interest Groups on Democratic Processes 1 of 2
Natural Balance or Disproportionate Power
Olson argued difficult to keep effective
Dahl’s pluralist view
Mills power elite
Narrow focus elicits sense of illegitimacy
Special interests has negative connotation
L.O. 8.4: Analyze what balances out power among interest groups.
pluralist:
View of democratic society in which interest groups compete over policy goals, and elected officials are mediators of group conflict.
special interests:
Set of groups seeking a particular benefit for themselves in the policy process.
Key Questions
Do you think interest groups form from the bottom up or from the top down?
Do interest groups bring people into the democratic process, or do they strengthen some voices at the expense of others?
What distinguishes a legitimate interest from an illegitimate interest?
Do interest groups balance out each other the way that Madison thought they would?
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20. The Impact of Interest Groups on Democratic Processes 2 of 2
Self-Service or Public Service
Auto manufacturers blocked government- mandated fuel standards
Interest groups tend to talk over each other
Open or Closed Routes of Influence
Iron triangle
Issue networks
Revolving door
iron triangle:
Insular and closed relationship among interest groups, members of Congress, and federal agencies.
issue network:
View of the relationship among interest groups, members of Congress, and federal agencies as more fluid, open, and transparent than that described by the term iron triangle.
revolving door:
Movement of members of Congress, lobbyists, and executive branch employees into paid positions in each other’s organizations.
Key Questions
Name two or three interest groups that you think have a lot of power in American politics. Do you agree or disagree with their positions?
Is government responsive to interest groups? Are interest groups responsive to the people?
Do you think the military-industrial complex exists today?
How does government prevent corruption among government officials?
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21. Fuel Economy Standards
Over time, the government has steadily increased the standards for fuel economy for cars and trucks. The numbered boxes indicate times when the federal government has taken action to regulate fuel economy.
Figure 8.2
Over time, the government has steadily increased the standards for fuel economy for cars and trucks. The numbered boxes indicate times when the federal government has taken action to regulate fuel economy.
Source: Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, “Federal Vehicle Standards,” accessed March 16, 2014
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22. Copyright © 2018 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
Iron Triangle
Figure 8.3
The iron triangle is a policy-making structure that includes congressional committees, federal agencies, and interest groups.
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Copyright © 2018 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

23. Characteristics of Successful Interest Groups 1 of 3
Leadership Accountability
Iron law of oligarchy
Membership Stability
Selective Benefits
The Free Rider Problem
Public goods
The Economic and Political Change Problem
L.O. 8.5: Assess what makes an interest group successful.
iron law of oligarchy:
Theory that leaders in any organization eventually behave in their own self-interest, even at the expense of rank-and-file members; the larger the organization, the greater the likelihood that the leader will behave this way.
selective benefits:
Benefits offered exclusively to members of an interest group.
public goods:
Goods or benefits provided by government from which everyone benefits and from which no one can be excluded.
free rider problem:
Problem faced by interest groups when a collective benefit they provide is so widespread and diffuse that members and nonmembers alike receive it, reducing the incentive for joining the group.
Key Questions
Identify two interest groups with an enduring voice in American democracy.
How do groups perpetuate themselves at the expense of their mission? Can you give an example?
Would you join an interest group for its material benefits? Its solidary benefits? Its expressive benefits? What would make you decide to join?
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24. Characteristics of Successful Interest Groups 2 of 3
Interest groups offer tangible benefits to individuals to encourage them to join. Messenger bags and totes with the organization’s name also provide free advertising.
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25. Characteristics of Successful Interest Groups 3 of 3
Financial Stability
Internet makes fundraising easier
Membership dues
Creation of not-for-profit business (AARP)
Influence in the Public Sphere
Quoted in the press
Testifying before Congress
Key Questions
Imagine an AAYP, an American Association for Young People. What would it lobby for? What benefits would it offer?
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26. Interest Groups and Democracy
Collective Voice
Methods to influence policy
Direct lobbying
Media campaigns
Legal challenges
Grassroots organizing
Express wide-ranging views
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