1. Interest Groups and Business Corporations
Energy Bill-not about saving energy
Interest Group-seeks to influence public policy as a way to protect of advance a narrowly defined interest
Pressure Group-brings pressure on decision makers
Lobby-conveys interest group issues through interaction with legislators
Faction-Bad-subverts democracy
Pluralist-Good, and believes interest groups promote democracy

2. How Interest Groups Form and Kinds of Representation
Disturbance theory-changes in economic, social, or political environment that threaten the well-being of some group
Free rider problem-makes it difficult to form anything other than an interest group that has economic incentives
Public interest groups-advocate for a cause or an ideology
Private interest group-protects and advances material interests of members

3. Private Interest Groups
Business-Boeing; Microsoft; U.S. Chamber of Commerce; National Federation of Independent Business
The Professions-American Medical Association (AMA); American Dental Association (ADA); Trial Lawyers Association
Labor-Can be thought of as a public interest group—but they mostly protect the jobs and wages of their members
Ethnic and Gender Groups-NAACP; League of Latin American Citizens; NOW

4. Interest Group Activities
“Inside Game”-Lobbying-Congress, Executive, Courts
“Outside Game”-Mobilization-Membership or constituents, district members, public opinion
Organizing for Campaigns and Elections

5. Why Interest Groups are Not a Pluralist Panacea
Representational Inequalities
Resource Inequalities
PACs-part of an interest group whose purpose is to collect money and make contributions to candidates in federal elections (Corporate, trade, and professional PACs are numerous)
Soft money-unregulated expenditures-banned after 2002, but McCain-Feingold act sends soft money directly to PACs, which may make the situation worse
Independent expenditures-money spent by interest groups independent of candidate’s campaign organization

6. Access Inequality
Capture-a situation in which a regulated industry exercises substantial influence on the government agency regulating it
Subgovernment-alliances among interest groups, institutions within each house of Congress, and the executive branch
Interest group liberalism-a political regime in which interest groups help formulate and carry out government policies
Iron triangle-an enduring alliance of common interests among interest groups, congressional committees, and bureaucratic agencies