Interest Groups: Good Outcomes with Few Resources Chapter 13

Interest Groups and Their Functions Interest (pressure) groups: Organizations whose members act together to influence public policy and promote their common interests Justification for African American development of interest groups See “Our Voices: Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862–1931)”

A Group-Based View of American Politics Federalist No. 10: James Madison Factions can be dangerous to democracy Numerous interests and movement in and out of factions would make them less dangerous in America

A Group-Based View of American Politics Pluralism A theory of politics that contends that power is group based and that political outcomes are the result of competition among groups Dahl’s (1961) six assumptions of pluralism

A Group-Based View of American Politics Criticisms of pluralism Schattschneider Majority of Americans do not have interest group representation Lowi Many Americans are shut out of the policy-making process Iron triangle

Interest Group Formation Logic of collective action (Olson) Free rider Collective goods

Types of Interest Groups Mahood Economic interest groups Noneconomic interest groups

Types of Interest Groups Economic interest groups Agriculture Business Protect the ability of businesses to remain profitable Labor Protect workers and unions Professions See “Evaluating Equality: The AMA Apologizes to Black Physicians”

Types of Interest Groups Noneconomic interest groups Civil rights Equal opportunity, voting rights, civil liberties, and race and gender discrimination Government State and local organizations Ideology Organizations based on belief systems

Types of Interest Groups Noneconomic interest groups (cont.) Public interest Consumers, environmentalists, and political reformers Single issue Examples: Abortion, gun control, drunk driving Religion Organizations that represent a particular denomination or coalition of denominations

Techniques of Interest Groups Lobbying: The process by which an individual, a group, or an organization seeks to influence government policymakers Direct versus indirect

Techniques of Interest Groups Electioneering: Working actively on behalf of a political candidate or political party Endorsement Donations Federal Campaign Act (1971) PACs Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (2002) Citizens United v. Federal Election Committee (2010) and Super PACs

Techniques of Interest Groups Education Litigation Amicus curiae briefs NAACP LDF Educate judges, lawyers, etc. Media campaigns

Techniques of Interest Groups Factors that make interest groups effective The size, wealth, and cohesion of the group and the amount of information and services it can provide the legislator The importance and reliability of the group as perceived by the legislator The type of interests that the group represents, with legislators more likely to give more credence to business and economic interest groups than to consumer groups

Techniques of Interest Groups Factors that make interest groups effective (cont.) The interest group’s position on pending legislation Lobbyists are often more successful at preventing legislation than at pushing a bill through the legislative maze The strength and cohesion of the political parties within a legislator’s state or within Congress on the issue in question The degree of competition among the interest groups on either side of the issue

Political and Financial Inequalities Problems with pluralism Race complicates this theory Groups do not all have equal access to the political system All resources are not equal or held equally