Interest Groups History and Interest Group Formation

Interest Groups  Any organization that seeks to influence public policy  Found in many societies  Unusually large number found in U.S.

Proliferation  1. Social cleavages  2. U.S. constitutional system  3. Decline of political parties

Social Cleavages  Number of social divisions  Income, occupational, religious, racial, & cultural lines

U.S. Constitutional System  Stimulates political activity, including interest group activity  Because of federalism & separation of powers, there exists many different important centers in which impt decisions are made

U.S. Constitutional System  Many different interest groups can exercise different power  In Britain, interest groups are fewer in number & larger in scale to match centralized govt structure

Decline of Political Parties  Has made interest groups more needed & powerful  In European countries (with strong parties) interest groups— such as labor unions & professional societies—tend to work through the parties

Kinds of Interest Groups  Institutional  Membership

(1) Institutional Interest Groups  Organizations representing other groups  Typical institutional interests are business, government, foundations, & universities

(2) Membership Interest Groups  Supported by the activities & contributions of individual citizens  Examples include: AARP, NAACP, Christian Coalition, Sierra Club

Birth of Interest Groups  Since the 1960s the number of interest groups has increased rapidly  There have been other historical eras of interest group proliferation

Historical Eras of Interest Group Growth  1770s (pro-independence groups)  1830s & 1840s (religious & antislavery groups)  1860s (trade unions, the Grange)  1880s & 1890s (business orgs)

Historical Eras of Interest Group Growth  1900s & 1910s (a vast array of orgs)  1960s (environmental, consumer, and political reform orgs)

Interest Groups  Do not arise spontaneously or automatically  At least four factors help explain the rise of interest groups

Rise of Interest Groups  (1) Broad economic developments  (2) Government policy  (3) Religious & moralistic movements  (4) Expansion of government activities

(1) Broad Economic Developments  Rise of mass production industry encouraged the rise of mass- membership labor unions

(2) Government Policy  Public programs create constituencies with an incentive to organize to maintain their benefits  Veterans’ benefits create veterans’ groups  Licensing of professionals by state gov gives societies of doctors & lawyers a strong reason to exist

(2) Government Policy  Sometimes the gov supports the formation of orgs (American Farm Bureau) by providing benefits to its members  Sometimes gov policies are designed to make private interest group formation easier (passage of laws in 1930s to aid labor)

(3) Religious & Moralistic Movements  Produce people, frequently young people, who are willing to form orgs, often at large personal cost

(3) Religious & Moralistic Movements  Religious revivals of the 1830s & 1840s fed the antislavery crusade  Civil Rts. & antiwar movements of 1960s likewise produced an org. explosion

(4) Expansion of Gov Activities  The more activities gov undertakes, the more interest groups form as a response to those activities  Public interest lobbies have increased since 1970, when gov became active in civil rts, social welfare, and consumer rts.