1. What do Interest Groups do?

2. What Are Interest Groups?
An Interest Group (special interests) is an organization of people with similar policy goals that tries to influence the political process to try to achieve those goals.
Interest groups try to influence every branch and every level of government.

3. Types of Interest Groups
Multi-Issue Interest Groups – NAACP, AARP
Single-Issue Interest Groups – NRA, MADD
Economic Interest Groups – AFL-CIO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Public Interest Groups – Common Cause, Public Citizen
Governmental Groups – States lobbying the federal government, Federal agencies lobbying Congress.

4. What Do Interest Groups Do?
The most common and effective interest group technique is lobbying or seeking to influence and persuade others to support your group's position.
Lobbyists are hired by businesses, foreign countries, trade associations, and anyone else wanting their voice heard on policy matters.
A lobbyist is someone whose task it is to influence legislation or policymaking.

5. Interest Groups Techniques
Direct Techniques:
Lobbying
private meetings
testifying
drafting legislation
social occasions
providing political information
supplying nomination suggestions
Indirect Techniques:
Generating Public Pressure
groundswell of public pressure
using constituents as Lobbyists
building alliances with other groups

6. Political Action Committees (PACs)
The campaign fundraising wing of interest groups.
Coordinate donations by employees or group members to political campaigns.
Regulated by Federal Election Commission Act (FEC).
Gained strength in the wake of 2002 campaign finance reform (why?).

7. Top Lobbying Expenditures

8. What Makes an Interest Group Successful?
In general three factors tend to lead to interest group success:
Leaders – Having a prominent leader aids in the reputation of the group and enhances a group’s ability to attain its goals.
Patrons and Funding – Funding is critical. Without money, it is difficult to get your message out.
Members – A group must have members to be successful. Organizing members allows for strength in numbers and pooling of financial support.

9. Criticism of Interest Groups
Interest Groups have been criticized for
ignoring the wider interest of society
producing confusion and deadlock in Congress
generating so much emotion that they make reasoned discussion difficult
having too much influence

10. Positives Interest Groups promote interest in public affairs
provide useful information
serve as watchdogs
represent the interest of citizens