Interest Groups Vocab

Citizens’ groups

Organized interests formed by individuals drawn together by opportunities to promote a cause in which they believe but that does not provide them significant individual economic benefits.

Collective (public) goods

Benefits that are offered by groups (usually citizens’ groups) as an incentive for membership but that are nondivisible (such as a clean environment) and therefore are available to nonmembers as well as members of the particular group.

Economic groups

Interest groups that are organized primarily for financial reasons but that engage in political activity in order to seek favorable policies from government.

Free-rider problem

The situation in which the benefits offered by a group to its members are also available to nonmembers. The incentive to join the group and to promote its cause is reduced because nonmembers receive the benefits (e.g., a cleaner environment) without having to pay any of the group’s costs.

Inside lobbying

Direct communication between organized interests and policy makers, which is based on the assumed value of close contacts with policy makers.

Interest group

Any organization that actively seeks to influence public policy.

Iron triangle

A small and informal but relatively stable group of well-positioned legislators, executives, and lobbyists who seek to promote policies beneficial to a particular interest.

Issue network

An informal and relatively open network of public officials and lobbyists who come together in response to a proposed policy in an area of interest to each of them. Unlike an iron triangle, it disbands after the issue is resolved.

Lobbying

The process by which interest-group members attempt to influence public policy through contacts with public officials.

Outside lobbying

A form of lobbying in which an interest group seeks to use public pressure as a means of influencing officials.

Political action committee (PAC)

The organization through which an interest group raises and distributes funds for election purposes. By law, the funds must be raised through voluntary contributions.

Private (individual) goods

Benefits that a group (most often an economic group) can grant directly and exclusively to individual members of the group.

Super PACs

Election committees that are unrestricted in their fundraising and spending as long as they do not coordinate their campaign efforts with those of a candidate.