Interest Groups and Lobbying

Chapter 10 Interest Groups and Lobbying

Introduction

• Interest groups represent individuals, corporate interests, and the public before the government.

• They inform the public and lawmakers about issues, monitor government actions, and promote policies that benefit their interests.

• They interact with all three branches of government at the federal, state, and local levels.

Interest Groups vs. Political Parties

• Interest groups do not function primarily to elect candidates under a party label.

• Interest groups do not directly control the operations of government.

• Interest group activity is more issue-specific, narrowly focused, and often crosses party lines.

Interest Groups Defined

• An interest group is any formal association of individuals or organizations that attempts to influence government decision-making and the making of public policy.

• An influencer, called a lobbyist, represents the interest organization before government.

• Interest groups may take the form of membership organizations that individuals join voluntarily and to which they pay dues.

• Interest groups may form to represent companies, corporate organizations, or governments. These organizations may employ in-house lobbyists or retain contract lobbyists.

Public vs. Private Interest Groups

• Private interest groups usually seek particularized benefits from government that favor either a single interest or a narrow set of interests.

• Public interest groups attempt to promote public or collective goods. Such collective goods are benefits–tangible or intangible–that help most or all citizens.

Collective Action

• Collective action within an interest group means that all members do the necessary work to keep the group funded and operating.

• Collective action problems exist when people have a disincentive to take action and decide to sit back and count on someone else to do their share of the work within the group.

• Those not taking action in a group are often referred to as free riders.

Overcoming Collective Action Problems

Methods of overcoming collective action problems are:

• Obtaining financial support from patrons outside the group.

• Offering incentives.

• Hiring a lobbyist.

• Offering material incentives, which are tangible benefits of joining a group.

• Offering incentives that focus on the issues or causes promoted by the group.

• Requiring membership to be a part of an organization

Interest Groups and Political Participation

• Interest groups offer or encourage voting, campaigning, contacting lawmakers, and informing the public about causes.

• Some interest groups develop as grassroots movements, which begin from the bottom up among a small number of people.

• Interest groups frame issues that benefit their causes.

• Interest groups also try to get issues on the government agenda and monitor government programs.

Recent Changes to U.S. Interest Groups

The most significant recent changes to interest groups are the tremendous increases in both the number and the type of groups.

• The number of interest groups that represent the public, as opposed to economic interests, has grown.

• Specialization and fragmentation of existing interests have increased.

• The last few decades have shown an increase in professionalization in lobbying as well as in sophistication of lobbying techniques.

Lower Socioeconomic Status and Representation

Citizens with lower socioeconomic status are often not well represented by interest groups.

Some reasons are:

• The poor may not have the same opportunities to join groups.

• They may lack the free time necessary to participate in politics.

• There are often financial barriers to participation.

• The poor may not have enough reason to believe that they can make a difference or that the government cares about them and their view.

How Interest Groups Influence Through Elections

• Interest groups support candidates who are sympathetic to their views.

• Interest groups support candidates in order to have access to lawmakers once they are in office.

• Some interest groups form political action committees (PACs), groups that collect funds from donors and distribute them to candidates who support their issues.

Interest Groups Influencing Governance

Lawmakers rely on interest groups and lobbyists to provide them with information about the technical details of policy proposals, fellow lawmakers’ stands, and constituents’ perceptions.

• These voting cues give lawmakers an indication of how to vote on issues and information about ideas they can champion.

• Interest groups target members of relevant committees.
  Interest groups influence governance processes by:

  • Targeting lawmakers when legislation is on the floor

  • Targeting the budgetary process in order to maximize benefits to their group

  • Trying to defeat legislation that may be detrimental to their views

  • Targeting the executive and judicial branches of government

What Interest Groups Can and Cannot Do

• The 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act defined who can and cannot lobby, and requires lobbyists and interest groups to register with the federal government.

• The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 further increased restrictions on lobbying.

• Federal and state governments prohibit certain activities, such as providing gifts to lawmakers or compensating lobbyists with commissions.

• Governments require disclosure about the amount of money spent on lobbying efforts.

Interest Group Contributions: Freedom of Speech?

• It is generally agreed that interest groups have a right under the Constitution to promote a particular point of view.

• The extent of this protected right is not agreed upon.

• It is argued that campaign expenditures are a form of free speech and the Supreme Court has twice supported this argument.