Interest Groups: Organizing for Influence Chapter 9

The Interest-Group System Interest group: any organization that seeks to influence public policy Differs from a political party in that parties address a broad range of issues Federalism and separation of powers fuels interest groups Tocqueville: “a nation of joiners”

“A Nation of Joiners” 271

The Interest-Group System Economic groups Business groups Labor groups Farm groups Professional groups Material incentives

The Interest-Group System Citizens’ groups Purposive incentives Groups based on social groupings Single-issue groups Ideological groups Citizens’ groups difficult to classify

Ideological Interest Groups’ Contributions in the 2012 Elections 275

The Interest-Group System The organizational edge: economic groups versus citizens’ groups Unequal access to resources Private goods versus collective goods The free rider problem The advantages and disadvantages of size The size factor: business groups smaller and more efficient AARP and strength in numbers

277 table 9-1

Inside Lobbying: Seeking Influence through Official Contacts Acquiring access to officials “Revolving door” Supply officials with information—policy support Lobbyists must understand both the issues and the process Money is key element—amount contributed is staggering

Top-Spending Lobbying Groups 282 fig 9-1

Inside Lobbying: Seeking Influence through Official Contacts Acquiring access to officials Lobbying Congress Lobbying the executive branch Lobbying the courts

State-Level Lobbyists 284 WAIT FOR FINAL ART; THERE MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH THE MAP LEGEND

Inside Lobbying: Seeking Influence through Official Contacts Webs of influence: groups in the policy process Iron triangles Bureaucrats, lobbyists, legislators Small, informal, stable Issue networks Officials, lobbyists, and policy specialists Temporary More frequent than iron triangles

286 fig 9-2

Outside Lobbying: Seeking Influence through Public Pressure Constituency advocacy: grassroots lobbying Specialty of the AARP Members of the public try to get lawmakers’ attention

288 table 9-2

Outside Lobbying: Seeking Influence through Public Pressure Electoral action: votes and money PACs (political action committees) Funneling a group’s election contributions PAC contributions limited to $10,000 per candidate for each election cycle Most PACs associated with business Give much more heavily to incumbents

Percentage of PACs by Category 290 fig 9-3

Outside Lobbying: Seeking Influence through Public Pressure Electoral action: votes and money Super PACs or independent-expenditure-only-committees (IEOCs) Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) Not allowed to contribute/coordinate directly to the party or candidate Unrestricted fundraising and spending Disclosure of donors not required

The Group System: Indispensable but Biased in Favor of Economic Groups The contribution of groups to self-government: pluralism Serving the “public interest”? Flaws in pluralism Interest-group liberalism Not equally representative

The Group System: Indispensable but Biased in Favor of Economic Groups A Madisonian dilemma A free society must allow pursuit of self-interest. Checks and balances work to protect rights, but also exaggerate the influence of minorities. Groups can wield too much influence over individual policies or agencies.