Module 7 - Interest Groups and Lobbying

Interest group

a group of people that seeks to influence public policy on the basis of a particular common

interest or concern

Direct lobbying

attempts to influence a legislative body through communication with a member or employee

of a legislative body

Indirect lobbying

“grassroots” lobbying communications that attempt to influence legislation through attempts

to affect the opinions of the general public

Revolving door

the practice of public officials or employees abandoning public service for lobbying positions

Dark Money

funds raised for the purpose of influencing elections by nonprofit organizations that are not

required to disclose the identities of their donors

Bureaucracy

body of non-elected government officials or an administrative policy-making group

Iron Triangle

comprises the policy-making relationship among congressional committees, the bureaucracy,

and interest groups

Pluralist Theory

political power rests with competing interest groups who share influence in government;

assumes that citizens who want to get involved in the system do so because of the great

number of access points to government

Elitist Theory

political power rests with a small minority, consisting of members of the economic elite and

policy-planning networks—and that this power is independent of democratic elections

Hyperpluralist Theory

interest groups have become too numerous and influential in politics, either causing or

contributing to government gridlock