Interest Groups

interest group

an organization of people with shared policy goals who work to influence govt. decision making

purpose of IGS

bridge the gap between the public and policymakers

advocate for specific interests or issues

influence public policy at various levels of govt

provide expertise and information to lawmakers

how are interest groups different from political parties

IGs are short bridge with the public and govt officials; seek change from outside

PP seek influence from inside w/ wide ranges of issues

what is a linkage institution

a structure that connects people to the govt and helps influence public policy

ensure that public concerns and interests are heard by policy makers and speakers

economic IGs

represents interests of businesses and industries who want to influence policies that will benefit economic well-being

economic IG ex

American Federation of Labor

single issue IGs

focus on specific issues, whether ideological or single or they want to push forward

single issue IG ex

the NRA

public IGs

focus on causes that they believe will benefit the public, like public health or environmental protections

public IGs ex

mothers against drunk driving

lobbying

efforts to persuade lawmakers and govt officials to support specifc. policies, IGs hire lobbyists to advocate the policies

electioneering

IGs work to elect candidates who align w/ thei polocy goals, and they work against those who don't

mobilization

IGs engage their members. totake action and apply pressure on lawmakers through direct, personal outreach and activism

grassroots mobilization

encourages to take action and influence govt decisions

lobbying the courts

IGs use litigation to challenge policies or laws that they believe are harmful/unconstitutional

litigation

legal action

amicus curiae beliefs

“friend of the court”

written by individuals who are not directly involved in legal case but have expertise to help w/ decisions

IGs & the Bureaucracy

influence to shape how laws are implemented and enforced

CONCERNS: inequality of political and economic resources

larger, wealthier IGs often have more resourced. small, less funded IGs may struggle to compete for attention

CONCERNS:unequal access to decision makers

wealthier groups can afford more/better lobbyists, campaign contributions, and high profile advocacy

CONCERNS: the free rider problem

occurs when individs benefit from the efforts on IGs w/o actively participating or contributing solutions

selective benefits

CONCERNS: the revolving door

members of Cong leave their jobs in public service to take roles in IGs, corporations, or lobbying firms that they may have interacted w/ while in govt.

concerned w/ access to info