chapter 10 civics vocab

public interest lobbies

organizations that seek a collective good, which benefits the society as a whole

interest groups

an organization of people with shared policy goals, entering the policy process at several points to try to achieve those goals

Single issue group

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

electioneering

Direct group involvement in the electoral process, for example, by hoping to fund campaigns, getting members to work for candidates, informing political action committees

iron triangle

subgovernments are composed of interest group leaders interested in a particular policy, the government agency in charge of administering that policy, and the members of congressional committees handling that policy

actual group

the people in the potential group that join the group

potential group

all of the people who might be interest group members because they are share some common interest

selective benefits

good that a group can restrict to those who actually join

lobbying

a communication, by someone other than a citizen, acting on his or her own behalf, directed to a governmental decision maker with the hopes of influencing his or her decision

political action committees

groups that raise money from individuals and then distribute it in the form of contributions to candidates that the group supports

right to work laws

a state law for bidding requirements that workers must join a union hold their jobs

union shop

a provision found in some collective bargaining agreements requiring all employees of a business to join the union within a short period, usually 30 days, and remain members as a condition of employment

pluralism

the theory of government and politics, emphasizing that many groups, each pressing for its preferred policies, compete encounter balance, one another in the political market place

elitism

a theory of government and politics containing that an upper class elite will hold most of the power in thus in effect the government

hyper pluralism

a theory of government and politics containing the groups are so strong that government, seeking to please them all, is there by weakened

collective good

something of value that cannot be withheld from a potential group member

free rider problem

for a group, the problem of people not joining because they can benefit from groups activities without joining