Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
1
AP Government “Interest Groups”
2
Interest Groups
3
Interest groups Interest groups
Organized groups of individuals who seek to influence public policy (play video) Cram for the Exam- 4:00 Lobbying The act of promoting a cause with gov’t officials to try to influence public policy conducted by lobbyists
4
Federalist #10 on Interest Groups
James Madison warned of the dangers of factions (see how this course is all coming together…) Interest groups are factions formed from the divisions in society Only natural for some groups to oppose others due to their conflicting interests farmers v. merchants Rich v. poor? Madison argued that each group would do what it could to prevail over other groups It was the role of gov’t to mediate between these factions
5
Spending on Lobby Efforts
Which organization spent the most on lobbying over the last decade? US Chamber of Commerce How much would an organization have to spend to make it in the top 10 list of top spenders? Over $100 million
6
Lobbyists Good or Evil? They are evil argument:
Each group promotes its own selfish interests, which may not be in the best interest of all Americans Whoever spends the most money wins? Cell phone company vs. better business bureau? Banks vs. better business bureau? Anyone vs. the better business bureau? They are good argument: Play the video (2:41)
7
Interest Groups What is the difference between an interest group and a political party? Remember the Theories Traditional Democratic Theory Pluralism Madison & Factions Groups serve as linkage institutions Elitism Hyperpluralism Ties to problems of sub-governments (iron triangles) Interest groups tend to have narrower range of interests (not always) whereas Political Parties usually present general platforms and then leave the specifics up to interest groups and political actors; also, interest don’t put up their own candidates – they use PAC’s to raise money to support candidates instead Right to organize supported by 1st Amendment Generally target legislature, but also use courts, pressure agencies etc. (remember Iron Triangles) Traditional Democratic Theory Emphasizes: Equality of persons Participation Necessity of Compromise Citizen Control, individual freedom Must practice Majority Rule, Minority Rights Pluralism Theory Emphasizes: Policy-making process is open to participation of all groups w/shared interests No single group dominates As a result, public interest prevails Elitism Theory contends… Upper-middle class elite holds all the power Upper-middle class makes all the policy, regardless of formal government organization Hyperpluralism Theory Groups are so strong that government, which gives in to many different groups, is weakened
8
Roles of Interest Groups
Representation Participation Education Agenda building Program monitoring Interest groups articulate their interests or members concerns directly into the political process Representation Interest groups represent people (faction of them) over gov’t Participation Interest groups provide opportunities for individuals to participate in politics Education Interest groups educate their members, gov’t officials, and the public at large Agenda building They make gov’t aware of problems and push them to solve them Program monitoring Interest groups keep track of gov’t programs in areas they are concerned about
9
They provide detailed info about their cause that may not be readily available otherwise
10
How Interest Groups Form
When individuals are (or feel) threatened by change they band together in an interest group There tends to be an equilibrium of groups until some type of disturbance forces new groups to form Usually an effective leader is necessary for a successful group to form Interest group entrepreneurs – are people who start interest groups They need something “attractive” to market in order to convince people to join Benefits of joining must outweigh the costs Organizers must convince potential members that the group can effectively lobby the gov’t to achieve their particular goals Coalition Building: Sometimes, interest group will have a “sub-interest” in order to gain members with cross-cutting cleavages. So if someone is active in LGBT rights, Black Lives Matter might adopt a pro-LGBT stance in order to pull already active people into their group as well.
11
United Farm Workers Example
Cesar Chavez, organizer of the United Farm Workers Started as a union of men and women who picked crops in California who were mostly poor Mexican-Americans They used strikes, boycotts, and nonviolent protests to achieve their goals They won better wages and benefits This is who Stephen Colbert testified for in the clip we watched
12
Factors Promoting IG Success
Wealthy, educated, and politically experienced people are more successful in organizing interest groups than those who are not They believe that their actions can make a change, which gives them more incentive to devote time and resources to interest groups
13
Attracting and Maintaining Members
Attracting members Competition is high in most policy areas, so groups need to differentiate themselves by showing they are the most involved and knowledgeable Direct mail and internet sites are common tools for recruiting Maintaining members Groups must convince their members that they are doing a good job Through newsletters and s groups inform members of their successes and keep their interest in the group’s concerns up
14
Definitions Free-rider problem
When people benefit from the activities of an organization (interest group) but do not participate in the activities of the group Trade associations Organization that represents firms within a particular industry They organize conventions where members can learn about new business practices and socialize
15
AP Government “Lobbyists & Lobbying”
16
Lobbyists Responsibilities
Lobbyists represent interest groups They make sure that gov’t officials know what their membership wants Path of a lobbyist (picture) They let the members of the group know what gov’t is doing in relation to their organization’s goals Direct Lobbying It is aimed directly at policymakers Lobbyists perform the following functions: Keep ongoing relationship with elected officials through frequent meetings Constantly provide elected officials with data supporting their groups goals Testify at committee hearings Legal advocacy – achieving policy goals through litigation in courts Grassroots Lobbying Rank-and-file members of the interest group use tactics to reach regular citizens These tactics include letter-writing campaigns (or or phone call campaigns Information Campaigns Organized efforts to gain public-backing by bringing their views to the public’s attention Tactics include sending speakers to meetings, producing pamphlets and handouts, taking out print ads, and establishing websites Foreign Lobbying They lobby foreign gov’ts to pass policies better for the business interests they represent They sometimes hire foreigners that are well-connected in their country to help them gain access to foreign gov’t officials Some foreign gov’ts hire lobbyists in the US Citizens groups occasionally lobby foreign gov’ts on issues that cross borders Next Slide- review of PACs
17
Review: PACS What are PAC’s? (opensecrets.org)
PAC’s Explained (Mr. Shulman explains PAC’s- remember him?!) A PAC can only donate up to $5,000 to each candidate for any one election
18
Support of Incumbents When PACs have given a lot of money to a member of Congress, they expect the officeholder will someday have to make a critical vote to the PAC, and they will give in to the influence of the PAC and vote their way Which came first, the chicken or the egg? PACs cultivate relationships with members of Congress The longer a person is in office the more money the PAC has given them If new candidates are elected the PACs have to start completely over in building up influence with that elected official Does the NEA give money to Democratic Candidates because they support NEA or do Democratic Candidates support the NEA because they receive money from them? Does the NRA give money to Republican Candidates because they support the NRA or do Republican Candidates support the NRA because they receive money from them?
19
When Conventional Lobbying Fails
Interest groups try conventional tactics first When they fail they resort sometimes to public political protests These protests are to attract media attention to change public opinion related to the issue they care about in order to make policymakers accept their demands Main drawback is that policymaking is a long-term process, and it is hard to maintain protests which are usually short-term
20
Agreement on Interest Groups
Despite criticism against interest groups, most people agree with two notions related to their existence: All significant interests in the population should be adequately represented by interest groups Gov’t should listen to the views of all major interests as it develops policy
21
Even Representation? Are all Americans represented equally by interest groups? Those in business or professions, with higher educations and higher incomes are represented far more than the poor How can you argue that all Americans are represented by them even if it is not equal? Some interest groups supported by corporations and the wealthy support the needs of the poor
22
Difficulty of Regulating
Limiting the activities of interest groups is difficult James Madison argued in Federalist #10 that eliminating factions would require the limiting of Constitutional rights Lobbying is a form of organized petitioning of gov’t and use of speech (both protected in the 1st Amendment)
23
REVIEW: Campaign Finance Reform
Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold Act) made it illegal for corporations, unions, and other organizations to give unlimited “soft money” contributions to political parties (as opposed to the PAC limits to individual candidates) 527s were created to get around this ban (non-party supposedly independent groups) 527s PACs
24
Super PACs Citizens United v. FEC (2010) – allowed corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on direct advocacy for or against candidates (classified corporations and unions as people and as such eligible for 1st amendment rights) SpeechNow v. FEC (2012) – a case involving a non-profit organization that sought to: accept contributions in excess of $5000 from individual contributors (not corporations) for the exclusive purpose of running independent expenditures not register as a political committee or be subject to PAC reporting requirements
25
Combined these cases opened the door to unlimited spending by corporations, unions, and individuals (if they are to these non-profit independent expenditure organizations) Spending in 2012 elections set new highs
26
Story of Citizens United
Against the decision Against the argument against the decision Final rebuttal
Similar presentations
© 2025 SlidePlayer.com Inc.
All rights reserved.