Chapter 10 - Interest Groups

Do interest groups contribute to the proper functioning of democracy, or are they a threat to it?

• “An organized body of individuals who share some political goals and try to influence public policy”

• Ordinary people that form political groups by whatever issues they share

• The largest interest group is AARP (American Association of Retired People)

• Other examples- National Rifle Association, National Association of Women, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (labor unions)

Interest groups in America

• Interest groups play many roles in the American political system

  • Representation

  • Participation - mobilization caused by an interest group

  • Education (propaganda)

  • Agenda building

  • Program monitoring

• How interest groups form: it’s american culture

  • “Americans of all ages, all stations in life, and all types of disposition are forever forming associations

• How interest groups forms: threat

  • Pluralists see interest groups mobilizing when people whose share interest is threatened

• Barrier to group up mobilization:

  • The free rider problems happens when people benefit from the activities of a group but do not contribute

• Many people free ride because their personal contribution seems too small

• They will receive the benefits anyhow

• What if everyone thought that way?

• A great many people do think this way

• That’s why so many groups mobilize such a small proportion of the people who sympathize with their goals

How do groups overcome the free rider oriblem

• Selective incentives for contributing inclue

  • Material benefits (stuff)

  • Solidarity benefits ( social stuff)

  • Purposive benefits (good feelings)

• On-line ad for sierra club

• Merch, swag bag, maganizes etc,

• Material benefits are often predominate vs predominant

Group formation

• Most groups exist not because of mass memberships but because of patrons

  • Patrons include wealthy individuals, foundations, corporations, or institutions

  • Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Charles Koch Institute, etc

Bias in the interest group system

• Pluralism as a theory of democratic governance is problematic because of membership bias and the overrepresentation of business

• Offering selective benefits is not sufficient

  • Who is being organized is also important

    • The wealthy and the highly educated are more likely to form and join groups

• Business groups are overrepresented in the interest group system

• The interest group system is tempered by the majoritarian nature of elections

• The party that wins an election will have more say than its opponent in granting interest groups access, thus giving some groups more voice in policymaking

How do groups influence public policy?

Lobbying

• Lobbyists can be either full-time employees of the organization or hired from law firms or public relations firms

• Political action committees (PACs) pool contributions from group members and donate those funds to candidates for office

Lobbying tactics

• In direct lobbying, a group representative has direct contact with a policymaker

• Lobbyists have a bad reputation for corrupt practices

• Lobbyists see their main role as sources of credible and trustworthy information

  • Want to be perceived as policy experts

  • Key lobbying resources include

    • Information

    • Support of a group

A corrupt lobbyist

• Jack Abramoff was in jail for bribery of elected officials (among other crimes)

• Found guilty of trading expensive gifts, meals, and sports trips in exchange for political favors

• But this isn’t a good thing to do if you want to keep your job

• Handing out small and inexpensive gifts is better

Lobbying tactics: the myth of money buying votes

• Financial contributions primarily work to provide lobbyists with access to legislators

  • On roll call votes money has an insignificant effect

  • Other factors such as ideology better explain legislators’ roll call votes

  • Money can buy effort, etc, legislators are more likely to offer an amendment in committee requested by a lobby group if the group hosts a fundraising event for the senator

• Interest groups give money to like-minded public officials

• There could be a correlation between giving money and their vote, but most legislators would have given their vote even before receiving money for it

Lobbying tactics

• In grassroots lobbying, an interest group’s rank-and-file members try to influence government on some issue

• From the NRA website Grassroots Lobbying at work

• Activists from NRA Members’ Councils meet each week, in places like this pizza parlor, to write letters to their elected representatives

• Information campaigns are organized efforts to gain public backing by bringing the group’s views to the public’s attention

• Many lobbyists use a variety of techniques to communicate with and mobilize members

  • Internet has revolutionized communications with interest group members

• High-text lobbying has sped up the political process

• Groups can quickly mobilize their members, who can then quickly contact policymakers about impending decisions

• The Web has also allowed people to organize who might not be otherwise be able to contact each other easily

Influencing policy through elections

• In Citizens United v. FEC the Supreme Court held that the free speech clause of the 1st amendment prohibits government from restricting independent expenditures for political communications by corporations and labor unions

• Gives interest groups much greater influence in electoral politics