Collective Political Action and Interest Groups Dubbs Govt

Public Good Something that benefits society and is created by someone or a group Depends on the scope People benefit even if they didn’t do anything to earn it Non-excludable—can’t be left out Indivisible—non-depletable, can’t be consumed away; your consumption does not change other people’s consumption

Public Good Examples Lighthouses National Defense Clean air Clean water Clean food Public Safety

Things that aren’t public goods PG’s cannot become private goods Social security becomes a private good

The Logic of Collective Action Everyone has interest in issues like food safety, but hardly anyone is in the American Dietetic Association OR the Center for Food Safety Yourselves included!!  what we call a “free-rider”

Civil Rights are public goods A PP A Small homogeneous groups will dominate more than large heterogeneous groups (in general) Small GroupsLarge Groups

When people benefit from the work of others… Free-Rider People who take advantage of public goods without doing the work Free-rider problem is much worse in a large group because it’s easier to hide and benefit Public goods are consequently underproduced

Large Groups vs. Small Groups No punishment for free-riding Not as much is accomplished Harder to mobilize as many people Absence is felt, cuts down on free-riders Easier to organize 9-11 Airline Bailout Easy to organize, took about a week to get industry back on track

Interest Group Behavior IG’s defined by 3 criteria 1. Use collective resources to influence govt outcomes 2. Group name does not appear on ballots 3. Groups organized externally to the govt itself IG’s LOBBY —the action of trying to influence lawmakers (comes from always talking to legislators in the lobbies and halls of Congress)

Classifying IG’s 1. Corporations Lobby directly on their behalf for the corp. alone. Most big corps. have lobbyists in DC and have a law firm as well 2. Citizen groups MADD, Center for Food Safety 3. State/Local Govt Organized externally to Natl. Govt. Ex: Associations of governors 4. Religious  Charitable

Classifying IG’s 5. Trade Associations By industry Professionals (teachers, lawyers, dentists, doctors) Owners of the means of production, or could potentially work for themselves 6. Labor Unions By labor types Workers, work for others NFLPA, Laborers, UAW, North American Meat Processors Association

Direct vs. Indirect Lobbying Strategies LobbyingDirectInsideOutsideIndirectInsideOutside Persuade government officials Change the actual decision makers (get their people elected) Indirect lobbying deals with campaigns and elections. Direct influences current government through persuasion. Indirect changes the composition of govt. Inside  officials Outside  people/voters. GREAT IG’S DO ALL OF THESE

Interest Groups Pros Help increase interest in public issues Promote shared interest of their members Provide useful, detailed, specialized information to govt officials and agencies Provide a way for people to join together to influence govt Act as “watchdogs” by keeping tabs on what govt officials and agencies do Cons

Writing to Learn Answer the following questions in your notes: What benefits do interest groups provide to society as a whole? Why is it difficult to decide if interest groups are positive or negative influences overall?

Political Action Committees IG’s set up PACs to raise money to influence public policy and elections. PACs have different goals, tools, and rules (set up by the govt) that they must follow Fed law limits amount an individual an give to a candidate for federal office Fed law bans corp’s and labors unions from donating directly to candidates running for federal office. However, a PAC can spend any amount of money to support a person running for office.

More on PACs PACs run their own ads in the media to influence public opinion Mass mailings to gather support PACs are often tied to IG’s, the reason for this is to separate IG’s from the mechanism of donating money to political campaigns

An interest group is a group of people who A. Personally lobby citizens B. Are concerned about a wide range of public issues C. Are running for elective office D. Share common goals and interests

What is the general purpose of a PAC? A. To pay for and run a single candidate’s election campaign B. To pay for the day-to-day operations of a political party C. To collect money and spend it to influence public policy D. To organize interest groups

PETA staged a protest outside Harbor Fish Market today, objecting to treatment of lobsters. Crews from area television stations videotaped what happened, did interviews, and will report on the event on the evening news. What technique is PETA using in this case to influence public opinion? A. Using the media to draw attention to its cause B. Meeting directly with policy makers C. Hiring lobbyists D. Using PACs

IG Videos The Crying Indian rule-washington/ Do Corporate Interests Rule Washington?

Constructed Response Read the information below and use it to answer the constructed response that follows. Some people think that interest groups have too much influence on the U.S. government. Others say that interest groups are a democratic and practical way to express people’s legitimate shared interests. How can interest groups help the U.S. political process and U.S. society? How can interest groups have a negative effect on the U.S. political process and U.S. society? Include details and examples to support your answers.