Interest groups and policy- making

An initial view Interest groups, along with parties, interpose themselves between the state and civil society Interest (or pressure groups) are groups which seek to influence, rather than control, government policy Sometimes referred to as organized interests Far more numerous than political parties in liberal democracies

Varieties Interests may be articulated by –Ethnic, linguistic or religious groups –Associations formed to represent or provide services to their members – Clubs Trade Unions, Professional Associations Producer groups – diary farmers, steel manufactures –Associations advancing a particular cause: Greenpeace Sierra Club Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Heart and Lung Association

Explaining interest groups: Society-centred explanations: –Interest groups are normal in a liberal democracy: James Madison in The Federalist Papers (1787): –Interests (and interest groups) thrive wherever there is liberty An expression of civil society State-centred explanations: –policies generate interests: the more the state regulates, the more that interests will organize in order to shape the way in which they are regulated The Case of the British Medical Association (BMA)

Collective Action Problems The theory of collective action (from Mancur Olson, The Logic of Collective Action, 1968) Self-interested individuals will be unwilling join associations if they can free ride can receive the benefits (collective goods) anyway Predicts membership only in groups which provide specific benefits and not in groups which pursue the public interest Problem: individuals do join promotional groups with little obvious or direct benefit

Sectoral vs. peak associations Sectoral groups: active in only one sector of the economy – e.g –Dairy farmers –Fisheries Union, –Fisheries Assoc. of Nfld and Labrador (FANL) –Steel Workers Peak Association - a federation or confederation of sectoral groups –Conference Board of Canada –Canadian Labour Congress –Trade Union Congress (UK)

Protective vs. Promotional Groups Protective groups represent sectors of the economy: –National Farmers Union (UK) –Board of Trade, Chamber of Commerce –CUPE, NAPE, MUNFA, CAUT, AUCC –Canadian Medical Association Promotional Groups: promoting a cause –National Rifle Association –Canadian Civil Liberties Association –CARAL, Right to Life –Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Water Trough Association –NIMBY groups

Access and activities: Protective groups: –For many, principal function is to provide services to their members –However, Also represent members’ interests to government via –Informal contacts with elected officials and bureaucrats –Serving on advisory councils or boards –Lobbying –Organizing promotional campaigns

Channels of access Vary from country to country and among interest groups Interest groups try to go where the power is – if they can gain access –In the United States, to the Congress –In other liberal democracies, to government departments where policies are formulated and Where regulations drafted once a policy is put in place

Protective vs. promotional groups Protective groups often work quietly, most frequently through contacts with government bureaucracy –Often have greater influence on details of legislation and regulations implementing them than on the broader lines of government policy Promotional groups rely more on the media, mass campaigns because they lack access to bureaucrats and policy-makers

Why do government officials consult with interest groups? Consultation sometimes required -- via advisory or consultative boards Groups often provide valuable information and expertise Groups can be used to explain government policy to their members

Policy communities and issue networks: Policy community: –A close-knit community of those most closely involved -- snug and cozy Government officials Key interest groups, including firms, interest groups, and employee or professional associations –E.g. organization of health or social welfare sectors in Germany Issue network: a looser and more open network of those involved or interested