AP Government: Interest Groups

A set of vocabulary flashcards derived from notes on interest groups in AP Government.

K Street

A shorthand term for Washington lobbyists, derived from the name of the street in Washington, DC, where lobbying firms were once concentrated.

Lobbyist

Someone who tries to persuade legislators to vote for bills that the lobbyists favor.

Selective Benefits

Goods that a group can restrict to those who actually join.

Interest Group

An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy.

Direct Mail

Advertising sent directly to prospective customers via the mail.

Insider Strategy

Strategy of lobbyists that work closely with a few key members of Congress, meeting them privately to exchange information and favors.

Grassroots Lobbying

An outsider strategy that attempts to influence policy by mobilizing the general public or group members to contact their elected representatives directlyt

Actual Group

The people in the potential group who actually join.

Revolving Door

Employment cycle in which individuals who work for government agencies that regulate interests eventually end up working for interest groups or businesses with the same policy concern.

Ethics in Government Act (1978)

Legislation passed to improve government integrity by requiring financial disclosure for public officials and limiting the lobbying activities of former officials for a set period.

Lobbyist Disclosure Act (1995)

A law designed to increase transparency by requiring lobbyists to register with the federal government and report their clients, the issues they lobby on, and their total expenditures.

Pluralist Theory

A political theory suggesting that power is distributed among many competing groups, ensuring that no single interest dominates and that the public interest emerges from compromise.

Elitist Theory

A theory of government stating that a small, wealthy core of corporate and political leaders holds the real power, making key decisions and marginalizing the influence of most interest groups.

Hyperpluralist Theory

An extreme form of pluralism where so many groups are so strong that they paralyze the government, leading to contradictory policies and legislative gridlock.

Iron Triangles

Mutually dependent relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees that dominate some areas of domestic policymaking.

Free Rider Problem

The problem faced by interest groups when citizens can reap the benefits of interest group action without actually joining, participating in, or contributing money to such groups.

Single Issue Groups

Groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics.

Electioneering

Direct involvement in the electoral process through activities such as funding campaigns, mobilizing volunteers to work for candidates, and forming Political Action Committees (PACs).

Political Action Committee (PAC)

A private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns.

Amicus Curiae Brief

Legal briefs filed by organized groups to influence the decision in a supreme Court case.

Class Action Lawsuit

Permits a small number of people to sue on behalf of all those who have been affected.

Litigation

The process of taking legal action.

Public Interest Lobbies

These organizations aim to influence public policy and promote issues that serve the broader community. advocate for collective goods hat benefit the entire public rather than just the group's members. (non profit)

Collective Good

A benefit, such as clean air or national security, that cannot be denied to any member of the public regardless of whether they helped achieve it.

Potential Group

All the people who might be interest group members because they share some common interest.