Honors Passion Civics
Chapter 10 Notes - Interest Groups
Theories of Interest Groups Politics
The Role of Interest Groups in Politics
- Right to organize groups (interest groups) is protected by Constitution
- Interest group - organization of ppl w/ shared policy goal(s) → enter policy process @ 1+ points + policy arenas → try to achieve their goals
- Support candidates for office, but don’t run their own slate of candidates (America only)
- Increasing rapidly over past half century
- Development of sophisticated technology (emails, phone calls → reach lots of ppl)
- Interest groups (IG) vs political parties (PP)
- IG - usually policy specialists
- Have a handful of key policies to push
- PP - usually policy generalists
- Want to appeal to everyone
- Does lobbying + interest groups create problems for the government? (in America)
- 3 important theories: pluralism, elitism, hyperpluralism
Pluralism
- Pluralism - argues that interest group activity brings representation to all
- Plural = several diverse elements
- Pluralists: “groups compete + counterbalance one another in political marketplace”
- Groups win some, lose some. But no group wins/loses all the time
- Group theory of politics
- Groups provide key link between ppl + gov
- Groups compete
- No one group is likely to dominate
- Groups usually play by rules of the game
- Fair fight, no lying/cheating/stealing to get their way
- Groups weak in one resource can use another
- Summary: lobbying is open to all → not a problem
Elitism
- Elitism - argues that a few groups (primarily the wealthy) have most of the power
- Pluralists impressed by # of organized interests, elitists impressed by how most of them are insignificant
- Groups are extremely unequal in power
- Largest corporations = hold largest amt of power
- Other groups may win small policy battles, but corporate elites ultimately win in the big decisions
- Power of few groups is fortified by extensive system of interlocking directorates
- ⅓ of top institutional positions are occupied by ppl who hold 1+ positions
- Lobbying is a problem
Hyperpluralism
- Hyperpluralism - argues that too many groups are getting too much of what they want → gov policies that are contradictory + lacking in direction
- Also criticize pluralism – interest group system is out of control
- Problem is Interest group liberalism - situation where gov in excessively deferential to groups
- Treat all pressure group demands as legit + sees gov’s job as to advance them all
- Ex: mail industry wants cheap rates → gov gives it to them
- Promoted by network of subgovernments in American political system that exercise great deal of control over specific policy areas
- Iron triangles (subgovernments) - composed of:
- key interest group leaders interested in policy X
- the gov agency in charge of administering policy X
- members of congressional committees + subcommittees handling policy X
- All elements of iron triangle have same goal - protect their self-interest
- Relations between interest groups + gov are too cozy → gov rarely makes hard choices abt national policy
- Instead of choosing between X and Y, gov tries to favor both
What Makes an Interest Group Successful?
The Surprising Effectiveness of Small Groups
- Potential groups - consist of all the ppl who might be interest group members bc they share a common interest
- Actual groups - consist of the ppl in the potential groups who actually join
- Groups vary to the degree in which they enroll their potential membership
- “All groups are in the business of providing collective goods” - Mancur Olson
- Collective goods - something of value, can’t be withheld from potential group member
- Ex: clean air
- members of a potential group share benefits that members of the actual group work to secure
- Issue of this (free-rider problem): why join the group + work hard when you can benefit from not doing anything?
- Bigger potential group → free-rider problem more serious
- Less likely for potential members to participate since “everyone can make a difference” is not as credible
- Way for large potential groups to overcome this
- Provide selective benefits - goods that a group can restrict to only those who actually join
- Once well organized, large groups may be very effective, but harder for them to get together in the first place
Intensity
- Intensity - psychological advantage, both small + large groups can enjoy this alike
- Raise an issue that ppl feel intensely about
- Group shows they’re intense abt issue → politicians more likely to listen → votes
- Amy McKay: intensity of lobbying against proposal is powerful predictor for whether it’s adopted in Congress / fed agency
- Groups that oppose are more intense abt their position than groups calling for change
- Single-issue groups - have a narrow interest, dislikes compromise, single-mindedly pursues goal
- Ex: opponents of gun control, abortion
Financial Resources
- American interest group systems are biased towards the wealthy
- However, correlation between big money + lobbying success is weak
- 1. Lobbying is very competitive
- 2. One big interest face off against another big interest
- Ex: 25 most powerful interest groups face off against each other
- 3. High degree of diversity among those on each side of lobbying game
- Groups w/ lots of $ often allied themselves w/ poor groups that shared common goal
How Groups Try to Shape Policy
- No interest group has enough staff/money/time to do everything possible to achieve its policy goals → choose tactics to pursue goals
Lobbying
- Lobbying - a “communication, by someone other than a citizen acting on his/her own behalf, directed to a governmental decision maker w/ the hope of influencing his/ her decision” - Lester Milbrath
- Term comes from back then when ppl had to get in touch w/ member of Congress by waiting in the lobby
- Lobbyists - political persuaders who represent organized groups.
- There are 2 types:
- 1. Regular, paid employee of corporation/union/association
- 2. Available for hire on a temporary basis
- Work for small groups (can’t afford full-time lobbyist) or groups that need unique + temporary access to Congress / executive branch
- Primarily out to influence Congress members, but can be helpful as well
- Lobbyists are important source of info, ideas, innovation
- Can help politicians w/ political strategy for getting legislation through
- Can help formulate campaign strategy + get a group’s members behind a politician’s reelection campaign
- Can either be done crudely or gracefully
- Lobbying success depends on ability to deploy info strategically on behalf of their clients
- Also works best on ppl already committed to a lobbyist’s policy position
- Directed toward primarily activating and reinforcing supporters
- Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 - established criteria for determining whether an organization/firm should register its employees as lobbyists
Electioneering
- Electioneering - aiding candidates financially + getting group members out to support them
- Direct group involvement in the electoral process
- PACs provide means for interest groups to participate in electioneering
- “Any industry that has any kind of dependence on government is pretty much forced to do what they’re doing”
- PAC is formed when interest group contributes to candidates they believe will support legislation they favor
- Group registers as PAC w/ FEC → puts in PAC coffers → donates to specific candidates
- Congressional candidates need PACs - high-tech campaigning is expensive
- “PACs, why do you give money to certain candidates?” bc candidates were:
- 1. on committees important to their interests
- 2. very supportive of issues important to them
- 3. from a district/state where they had facilities
- 4. helping them w/ executive + regulatory agencies
- 5. in leadership positions that allowed them to influence issues that affect PAC
- Critics of PAC system
- Worry leadstoPACcontroloverwhatwinnersdoonceinoffice</li><li>Distortdemocraticprocess,corruptourpoliticalsysteminfavorofthosewhocanraisethemost
- Common Cause's (citizen’s watchdog group) perspective
- Common Cause criticizes the influence of corporate PACs on Capitol Hill
- Argue that corporate PACs lead to "corporate welfare" + cost taxpayers billions
- PAC influence often operates BTS in technical committee meetings
- W/o PAC contributions, the public interest would be better served
- Contrasting perspective of common cause
- PAC contributions don’t directly cause legislative decisions, most members of Congress aren’t influenced by them
- PAC contributions often align with beliefs of the politicians they support → they’re less influential
- PACs represent occupational groups (farmers, lawyers, and college professors) → collectively support candidates
- Corporate PACs can represent the interests of stockholders and employees
Litigating
- Interest group fails to achieve goal in Congress → can go to court to achieve goal
- Amicus curiae (“friend of the court) briefs
- Written arguments submitted to the courts in support of 1 side of a case
- Lawyers file these to make interest groups views heard
- Class action lawsuits
- Allow group of ppl in similar situation to combine their common grievances into single suit
Going Public
- Interest groups create public image + use public opinion to their advantage whenever possible
- Defend reputation or promote stands on issues
Types of Interest Groups
- Interest groups are omnipresent in American political system
- Political scientists loosely categorize interest groups into clusters
- Most important → groups deal w/ economic issues, environmental concerns, equality issues, or interests of consumers + the public generally
Economic Interests
- Business, labor, farmers → fret over impact of gov regulation → minor changes can cause great deal
- Tax → determines whether ppl + producers pay a lot/little of their incomes to gov
- Gov provides subsidies to farmers, small businesses, railroads, minority businesses
- Every economic group wants this aid and government contracts
- Era of economic global interdependence
- Economic interests concerned abt import quotas and tariffs + soundness of dollar
Labor
- Unions are main interest groups representing labor
- 10M workers: members of union belonging to AFL-CIO → union of unions
- Millions of others belong to unions not affiliated w/ AFL-CIO
- National Education Association, Teamster, Service Employees International Union
- Aim of unions → press for policies, ensure better working conditions + higher wages
- Union shop - agreements requiring all employees of unionized business join the union within short period of being hired + remain members as condition of employment
- Many works would enjoy union benefit w/o actually joining a union + paying dues → establish union shop
- Business groups supported right-to-work laws - outlaw union membership as a condition of employment, forbid the creation of union shops
- Taft-Hartley Act (1974) - permitted states to adopt right-to-work laws
- 1956 - American labor movement peaked
- 33% of nonagricultural workforce belonged to a union, then declined to ~11%
- Low wages in other countries → America has to compete w/ other countries where workers earn low wages
- Problems unions have had in convincing today’s workers that they’ll benefit from unionization → tasks become difficult bc employers’ efforts to make nonunion jobs is more satisfying
- Decline in blue-collar industries → expansion in public sector
- 2014: 35% public sector employees = union members, 7% in private sectors
Business
- American power elite dominated by leaders of biggest banks, insurance companies, multinational corporations
- Large corporation garnered unprecedented amount of power over policy makers
- ¾ of lobbying expense comes from business interests
- Lobbying expense by businesses exceed behalf of unions and consumer groups x34 over
- Content of legislative acts is longer and detailed
- Business lobbyists get many details written into legislation that benefit their clients
- If clear payoff from lobbying activities, business invest more $ in lobbying
- Corporations often find their $$ can't buy desired results, but gives them advantage in policymaking process
- Another advantage is ability to make PAC contributions to members of Congress
- Democrats/Republican receive more when in majority → PAC contributions is access to the most powerful policymakers
Environmental Interests
- Newer political interest groups: environmentalists
- Origins to the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970
- Ecology-minded people marched to symbolized support for environmental protection
- US ranks high democracies in % of adults belongs to groups that protect environment
- World Wildlife Fund, Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife Federation
- Promoted policies to control pollution and combat global warming… and opposed policies and practices oil drilling, strip mining, nuclear power plants
Equality Interests
- African American groups’ goal: equality
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
- Civil rights groups push for equality
- Affirmative action programs → minority groups given educational + employment opportunities
- Social welfare policies to help the poor (social welfare agenda) are less known
- Issues are rarely settled, instead they shift to different policy arenas
Consumer and Other Public Interest Lobbies
- Public interest lobbies - organizations that seek a collective good which benefits the society as a whole
- Benefit for the public as consumers, for public more broadly defines, for some sector of public
- Consumer groups protect consumers
- Public interest groups protect public
Understanding Interest Groups
- Groups are usually more concerned with their own self-interest than needs of society
Interest Groups and Democracy
- Madison's solution: create wide open system, groups with opposing interest counterbalance one another
- Increase in lobby activity = less clout for interest groups
- Elite theorists disagree
- Proliferation of business PACs of more interest groups corruption in American politics
- Hyperpluralist theorists say if major interest group strongly objects to proposed legislation, policymaker will try to accommodate it
- Hard to accomplish major policy change bc too many interest groups
Interest Groups and the Scope of Government
- Multiplicity of American interest groups + openness of American politics to input from interest groups
- Give individuals many channels for political participations → facilitate the representation of individual interest
- Many American politicians have found their attempts to cut waste in federal spending frustrated by interest groups
- Others argue more areas federal government is involved in → more interest groups develop to attempt to influence policy
- Interest groups spend a lot of time monitoring policy developments